./ 


PROPERTY  OF 
DEPARTMENT  OF  DRAMATIC  ART 


HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 


HOW  TO   PRODUCE 
AMATEUR  PLAYS 

A  Practical  Manual 

BY 

BARRETT  H.  CLARK 


PROPERTY  OF 
GEPARTMENT  OF  DRAMATIC  ART 

BOSTON 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY 
1921 


{Jopyright,  1917, 
BY  LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY. 

All  rights  reserved 


ARf 


ff!7 


PREFACE 

THIS  book  aims  to  supply  the  demand  for  a 
simple  guide  to  the  production  of  plays  by  ama- 
teurs. During  the  past  five  years  a  few  man- 
uals have  appeared  touching  upon  the  subject, 
but  these  deal  either  with  theoretical  and  edu- 
cational, or  else  with  limited  and,  from  the 
practical  viewpoint,  unessential  aspects  of  the 
question.  In  the  present  manual  the  author 
has  attempted  an  eminently  practical  work, 
which  may  be  used  by  those  who  have  little 
or  no  knowledge  of  producing  plays  or  any  of 
the  numerous  problems  arising  in  this  con- 
nection. 

The  book  is  not  altogether  limited  in  its  ap- 
peal merely  to  producers ;  the  actors  themselves 
and  others  having  to  do  with  amateur  producing 
will  find  it  helpful.  The  author  has  added  a 
number  of  suggestions  on  a  matter  which  is 
rapidly  becoming  of  prime  importance:  the 


vi  PREFACE 

construction  of  stages  and  setting,  and  the 
manipulation  of  lighting. 

It  is  always  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  no  art 
can  be  taught  by  books.  The  principal  purpose 
of  this  volume  is  to  lay  down  the  elements  and 
outline  the  technic  of  amateur  producing. 

A  careful  study  of  it  will  enable  the  amateur 
stage  manager  to  do  much  for  himself  which 
has  heretofore  been  either  impossible  or  at- 
tended with  dire  difficulty. 

The  plan  of  the  book  is  simple :  each  question 
and  problem  is  treated  in  its  natural  order,  from 
the  moment  when  an  organization  decides  to 
"give  a  play",  until  the  curtain  drops  on  the 
last  performance  of  it. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  aid  here  given  will  encour- 
age and  stimulate  amateurs  to  think  a  little 
more  seriously  about  a  phase  of  our  social  life 
which  is  rapidly  assuming  an  important  posi- 
tion in  every  community,  and  which  may  in 
time  free  our  small  towns  and  cities  from  the 
domination  of  Broadway. 

The  author  acknowledges  his  indebtedness 
for  suggestions  and  help,  likewise  permission  to 
reproduce  diagrams,  photographs,  and  passages 
from  plays,  to  Mr.  T.  R.  Edwards,  Mr.  Hiram 
Kelly  Moderwell,  Mr.  L.  R.  Lewis,  Mr.  Clayton 


PREFACE  vii 

Hamilton,  Miss  Grace  Griswold,  Miss  Edith 
Wynne  Matthison,  Mr.  Maurice  Browne,  Miss 
Ida  Treat,  Mr.  Sam  Hume,  John  Lane  Com- 
pany, Samuel  French,  Brentano's,  and  Henry 
Holt  and  Company. 

FEBRUARY,  1917 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

PAGE 

PREFACE        .        .        .        . 

V 

I    CHOOSING  THE  PLAY                     .        ." 

1 

II    ORGANIZATION        .        . 

8 

Ill    CHOOSING  THE  CAST     .... 

.      18 

IV    REHEARSING     I                     .        .        . 

22 

V    REHEARSING   II     

.      48 

VI    REHEARSING  III     

.       73 

VII    THE  STAGE    

.      76 

VIII    LIGHTING       

.      86 

IX    SCENERY  AND  COSTUMES 

.       91 

X    SELECTIVE  LISTS  OF  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

.     110 

APPENDICES 

I    COPYRIGHT  AND  ROYALTY     . 

,     127 

II    A  NOTE  ON  MAKE-UP 

.     130 

INDEX 

139 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

SETTING  FOR  A  POETIC  DRAMA,  BY  SAM  HUME  Frontispiece 

PAGE 

"THE  GROTESQUES",  BY  CLOYD  HEAD.    PRODUCED 

AT  THE  LITTLE  THEATER,  CHICAGO          .        .        8 

"THE  TROJAN  WOMEN"  OF  EURIPIDES.    PRODUCED 

AT  THE  LITTLE  THEATER,  CHICAGO          .        .      18 

"CAPTAIN  BRASSBOUND'S  CONVERSION",  BY  SHAW. 
SET  OF  ACT  I,  AS  PRODUCED  BY  THE  NEIGH- 
BORHOOD PLAYHOUSE,  NEW  YORK  ...  22 

SET  FOR  MUSSET'S  "WHIMS."     PRODUCED  BY  THE 

WASHINGTON  SQUARE  PLAYERS        ...      48 

"SISTER  BEATRICE"  OF  MAETERLINCK.  PRODUCED 
AT  THE  WESTERN  RESERVE  COLLEGE  FOR 
WOMEN 74 

Two  VIEWS  OF  THE  STAGE  AT  TUFTS  COLLEGE, 
SHOWING  PLENTY  OF  OPEN  SPACE  FOR  THE 
STORING  AND  SHIFTING  OF  SCENERY  .  .  76 

AN  ORDINARY  BOX-SET.  FROM  DUMAS  FILS*  "THE 
MONEY  QUESTION."  PRODUCED  AT  TUFTS 
COLLEGE 80 

SCENES  FROM  EURIPIDES'  "  ELECTRA."    PRODUCED 

AT  ILLINOIS  STATE  COLLEGE    ....      90 

Two  VIEWS  OF  THE  STAGE  AT  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  DAKOTA        .        .        .        .        .        .106 


HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR 
PLAYS 

CHAPTER  I 
CHOOSING  THE  PLAY 

THE  first  important  question  which  arises 
after  the  decision  to  give  a  play,  is  "What 
play  ?  "  Only  too  often  is  this  question 
answered  in  a  haphazard  way.  Of  recent 
years  a  large  number  of  guides  to  selecting 
plays  have  made  their  appearance,  but  most  of 
them  are  incomplete  and  otherwise  unsatis- 
factory. The  large  lists  issued  by  play  pub- 
lishers are  bewildering.  Toward  the  end  of 
the  present  volume  is  a  selective  list  of  plays, 
all  of  which  are,  in  one  way  or  another,  "  worth 
while " ;  but  as  conditions  differ  so  widely,  it 
is  practically  impossible  to  do  otherwise  than 
merely  indicate  in  a  general  way  what  sort  of 
play  is  listed. 

1 


2          HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

Each  play  considered  by  any  organization 
should  be  read  by  the  director  or  even  the 
whole  club  or  cast,  after  the  requisite  condi- 
tions have  been  considered.  These  conditions 
usually  are : 

1.  Size  of  the  Cast.    This  is  obviously  a 
simple   matter:     a   cast   of   ten   cannot   play 
Shakespeare. 

2.  Ability  of  the  Cast.    This  is  a  little  more 
difficult.     While  it  is  a  laudable  ambition  to 
produce    Ibsen,    let    us    say,    no    high-school 
students  are  sufficiently  mature  or  skilled  to 
produce  "  A  Doll's  House."    As  a  rule,  the 
well-known     classics  —  Shakespeare,     Moli^re, 
Goldoni,    Sheridan,    Goldsmith  —  suffer   much 
less   from   inadequate   acting   and   production 
than  do  modern  dramatists.     The  opinion  of 
an  expert,  or  at  least  of  some  one  who  has 
had   experience    in    coaching    amateur    plays, 
should   be   sought   and   acted   upon.     If,    for 
example,   "  As  You  Like  It "   is  under  con- 
sideration, it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
role  of  Rosalind  requires  delicate  and  subtle 
acting,  and  if  no  suitable  woman  can  be  found 
for  that  part,  a  simpler  play,  like  "  The  Comedy 
of  Errors  ",  had  much  better  be  substituted. 
Modern  plays  are  on  the  whole  more  difficult : 


CHOOSING  THE  PLAY  3 

the  portrayal  of  a  modern  character  calls  for 
greater  variety,  maturity,  and  skill  than  the 
average  amateur  possesses.  The  characters  in 
Moliere's  "  Le  Bourgeois  Gentilhomme  "  ("  The 
Merchant  Gentleman  "),  Shakespeare's  "  The 
Comedy  of  Errors  ",  Sheridan's  "  The  Rivals  ", 
are  more  or  less  well-known  types,  and  acting 
of  a  conventional  and  imitative  kind  is  better 
suited  to  them.  On  the  other  hand,  only  the 
best-trained  amateurs  are  able  to  impart  the 
needful  appearance  of  life  and  actuality  to  a 
play  like  Henry  Arthur  Jones's  "  The  Liars." 
Still,  there  are  many  modern  plays  —  among 
them,  Shaw's  "You  Never  Can  Tell"  and 
Wilde's  "  The  Importance  of  Being  Earnest " 
—  in  which  no  great  subtlety  of  characteriza- 
tion is  called  for.  These  can  be  produced  as 
easily  by  amateurs  as  can  Shakespeare  and 
Sheridan. 

3.  The  Kind  of  Play  to  be  presented  usually 
raises  many  questions  which  are  entirely  with- 
out the  scope  of  purely  dramatic  considerations. 
In  this  country  especially,  there  is  a  studied 
avoidance  among  schools  and  often  among 
colleges  and  universities,  of  so-called  "  un- 
pleasant plays."  Without  entering  into  the 
reasons  for  this  aversion,  it  is  rather  fortunate, 


4      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

because  as  a  general  rule,  "  thesis  ",  "  sex  ", 
and  "  problem  "  plays  are  full  of  pitfalls  for 
amateur  actors  and  producers. 

While  it  is  a  splendid  thing  to  believe  no 
play  too  good  for  amateurs,  some  moderation 
is  necessary  where  a  play  under  consideration 
is  obviously  beyond  the  ability  of  a  cast: 
"  Hamlet  "  ought  never  to  be  attempted  by 
amateurs,  nor  such  subtle  and  otherwise  diffi- 
cult plays  as  "  Man  and  Superman."  Plays 
of  the  highest  merit  can  be  found  which  are 
not  so  taxing  as  these.  There  is  no  reason 
why  Sophocles'  "  Electra ",  Euripides'  "Al- 
cestis  ",  or  the  comedies  of  Lope  de  Vega, 
Goldoni,  Moliere,  Kotzebue,  Lessing,  not  to 
mention  the  better-known  English  classics, 
should  not  be  performed  by  amateurs. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  facile,  trashy, 
"  popular  "  comedies  of  the  past  two  or  three 
generations  are  to  be  avoided  by  amateurs 
who  take  their  work  seriously.  Nor  does  this 
mean  that  all  farces  and  comedies  should  be 
left  out  of  the  repertory :  "  The  Magistrate  " 
and  "  The  Importance  of  Being  Earnest  "  are 
among  the  finest  farces  in  the  language.  The 
point  to  be  impressed  is  that  it  is  better  to 
attempt  a  play  which  may  be  more  difficult 


CHOOSING  THE  PLAY  5 

to  perform  than  "  Charley's  Aunt  ",  than  to 
give  a  good  performance  of  that  oft-acted  and 
decidedly  hackneyed  piece.  It  is  much  more 
meritorious  to  produce  a  good  play  poorly, 
if  need  be,  than  a  poor  play  well. 

If,  after  having  consulted  the  list  in  this 
volume  and  similar  other  lists,  the  club  is  still 
unable  to  decide  on  a  suitable  modern  play, 
the  best  course  is  to  return  to  the  classics. 
It  is  likely  that  the  plays  that  have  pleased 
audiences  for  centuries  will  please  us.  Aris- 
tophanes' "  The  Clouds  "  and  "  Lysistrata  ", 
with  a  few  necessary  "  cuts " ;  Plautus' 
"The  Twins"  and  Terence's  "Phormio"; 
Goldoni's  "  The  Fan " ;  Shakespeare's 
"  Comedy  of  Errors  "  and  half  a  dozen  other 
comedies ;  Moliere's  "  Merchant  Gentleman  " 
and  "  Doctor  in  Spite  of  Himself  " ;  Sheridan's 
"  The  Rivals  "  and  Goldsmith's  "  She  Stoops 
to  Conquer  " ;  Lessing's  "  Minna  von  Barn- 
helm  "  —  almost  any  one  of  these  is  "  safe." 
A  classic  can  never  be  seen  too  often  and,  since 
true  amateurs  are  those  who  play  for  the  joy 
of  playing,  they  will  receive  ample  recompense 
for  their  efforts  in  the  thought  that  they  have 
at  least  added  their  mite  to  the  sum  total  of 
true  enjoyment  in  the  theater.  Another  argu- 


6      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

ment  in  favor  of  the  performance  of  the  classics 
is  that  they  are  rarely  produced  by  profes- 
sionals. If  an  amateur  club  revives  a  classic, 
especially  one  which  is  not  often  seen  nowa- 
days, it  may  well  be  proud  of  its  efforts. 

If,  however,  the  club  insists  on  giving  a 
modern  play,  it  will  have  little  difficulty  in 
finding  suitable  material.  It  is  well  not  to 
challenge  comparison  with  professional  produc- 
tions by  choosing  plays  which  have  had  pro- 
fessional runs  of  late;  try  rather  to  select 
(1)  good  modern  plays  which  by  reason  of 
their  subject  matter,  form,  etc.,  cannot  under 
present  conditions  be  commercially  success- 
ful (like  Granville  Barker's  "  The  Marrying 
of  Ann  Leete  ") ;  (2)  translations  of  contem- 
porary foreign  plays  which  are  not  well  known 
either  to  American  readers  or  producers ;  and, 
finally  (3)  original  plays.  Here  it  is  difficult 
to  advise.  It  cannot  be  hoped  that  an  amateur 
club  will  discover  many  masterpieces  among 
original  plays  submitted  to  it,  but  if  any  of 
the  works  considered  has  even  a  touch  of  origi- 
nality, some  good  characterization,  any  marked 
technical  skill ;  in  a  word,  if  there  is  something 
interesting  or  promising,  then  it  is  worth  pro- 
ducing. Doubtless  many  beginners  are  dis- 


CHOOSING  THE  PLAY  7 

couraged  from  writing  plays  for  lack  of  ex- 
perience gained  by  seeing  their  work  staged; 
for  such,  the  amateur  club  is  the  only  resource. 
Besides  these  particular  considerations,  there 
remain  the  minor  but  necessary  points  relat- 
ing to  rights  and  royalties.  A  full  statement 
of  the  legal  aspect  of  the  case  is  to  be  found  in 
the  first  appendix  in  this  book. 


CHAPTER  II 
ORGANIZATION 

A  GREAT  many  more  factors  go  into  the  mak- 
ing of  a  successful  dramatic  production  than 
may  at  first  be  apparent.  The  organization 
of  a  staff  whose  duty  it  is  to  furnish  and  equip 
a  theater,  hall,  or  schoolroom ;  to  arrange  and 
efficiently  run  rehearsals ;  to  supply  "  props  ", 
costumes,  and  furniture;  to  manage  the  stage 
during  the  performance  —  all  this  is  next  in 
importance  to  the  acting  itself. 

Of  late  years,  in  particular,  it  has  been  made 
clear  that  the  art  of  the  theater,  although  it 
is  a  collaboration  of  the  brains  and  hands  of 
many  persons,  must  be  under  the  supervision 
of  one  dominating  and  far-seeing  chief.  That 
is  to  say,  one  person  and  one  alone  must  be 
responsible  for  the  entire  production.  Except 
in  rare  instances  this  head  cannot  know  of 
and  attend  to  each  detail  himself,  but  it  is  his 
8 


2  ^ 


- 

I 


I 


ORGANIZATION  9 

business  to  see  that  the  whole  organization  is 
formed  and  managed  according  to  his  wishes. 
The  function  of  this  ideal  manager  has  been 
compared  with  that  of  the  orchestral  con- 
ductor: it  is  he  who  leads,  and  he  should  be 
the  first  to  detect  the  slightest  discord.  While 
the  foregoing  remarks  are  more  strictly  ap- 
plicable to  acting  and  staging,  it  will  readily 
be  seen  that  if  the  same  leader  is  not  in  touch 
with  the  more  practical  side  of  the  production, 
there  is  likely  to  arise  that  working  at  cross- 
purposes  which  has  ruined  many  an  amateur 
as  well  as  professional  production.  While  a 
great  deal  of  the  actual  work  must  be  done  by 
subordinates,  it  should  be  clearly  understood 
that  the  director  has  the  final  word  of  authority. 

Much  in  the  matter  of  organization  depends 
upon  the  number  and  ability  and  experience  of 
those  persons  who  are  available,  but  the  sug- 
gestions about  to  be  made  as  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  staff  are  based  upon  the  assumption 
that  the  director  is  a  capable  person,  and  his 
assistants  at  least  willing  to  learn  from  him. 
As  a  rule,  he  will  have  plenty  of  material  to 
work  with. 

The  Director.  The  producer,  the  head  under 
whose  guidance  the  entire  work  of  rehearsing 


10        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

and  organization  should  lie,  is  called  the 
director.  However,  since  this  position  is  often 
held  by  a  hired  coach  or  by  some  one  else  who 
cannot  be  expected  to  attend  to  much  outside 
the  actual  rehearsing,  there  must  be  elected 
or  appointed  an  officer  who  is  directly  re- 
sponsible. This  officer  is : 

The  Stage  Manager.  As  the  director  can- 
not always  be  present  at  every  rehearsal,  and 
as  oftentimes  two  parts  of  the  play  are  re- 
hearsed simultaneously,  it  is  evident  that 
another  director  must  be  ready  to  act  in  place 
of  the  head.  It  is  chiefly  his  duty  to  "  hold  " 
the  prompt-book  and  keep  a  careful  record  of 
all  stage  business,  "  cuts ",  etc.  At  every 
rehearsal  he  must  be  ready  to  prompt,  either 
lines  or  "  business  "  —  action,  gestures,  crosses, 
entrances,  exits,  and  the  like  —  and  call  the 
attention  of  the  director  to  omissions  or  mis- 
takes of  every  sort.  In  the  event  of  the 
director's  absence,  he  becomes  the  pro  tern, 
director  himself. 

It  is  advisable  —  though  not  always  possible 
—  to  delegate  the  duties  of  property  man, 
lightman,  curtain  man,  costume  man  (or  ward- 
robe mistress)  to  different  persons;  but  even 
when  this  is  done,  it  is  better  for  the  stage 


ORGANIZATION  11 

manager  to  keep  a  record  of  all  "  property 
plots  ",  "  light  plots  ",  "  furniture  plots  ",  etc. 

It  is  also  the  stage  manager's  business  to 
arrange  the  time  and  place  of  rehearsals,  and 
hold  each  actor  responsible  for  attendance. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  dress  rehearsal  and 
of  the  actual  production,  it  is  the  stage  manager, 
and  not  the  director,  who  supervises  every- 
thing. His  position  is  that  of  commander- 
in-chief.  He  either  holds  the  book,  or  is  at 
least  close  by  the  person  who  actually  follows 
the  lines;  sees  that  each  actor  is  ready  for 
his  entrance;  that  the  curtain  rises  and  falls 
when  it  should;  that  his  assistants  are  each 
in  their  respective  places ;  and  that  the  entire 
performance  "  goes  "  as  it  is  intended  to  go. 

The  Business  Manager.  This  person  attends 
to  such  matters  as  renting  the  theater  — or 
arranging  some  place  for  the  performance  — 
printing  and  distributing  tickets;  in  short, 
everything  connected  with  the  receipt  and 
expenditure  of  money.  It  is  not  of  course 
imperative  that  he  should  have  much  to  do 
with  the  director;  the  only  point  to  be  borne 
in  mind  being  that  every  one  connected  with 
the  production  of  a  play  should  be  in  touch 
with  those  in  authority.  The  business  manager 


12        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

ought  to  have  at  least  a  preliminary  conference 
with  the  director,  and  report  to  him  every 
week  until  a  few  days  before  the  performance, 
when  he  should  be  within  instant  call  in  case 
of  emergency.  The  property,  light,  furniture, 
and  costume  people  must  naturally  keep  in 
close  touch  with  him,  although  no  purchases 
should  be  made  without  the  permission  of  the 
director,  who  in  this  case  must  be  at  one  with 
the  club  or  organization. 

The  Property  Man.  The  duties  attaching  to 
this  position  are  definitely  and  necessarily 
limited,  but  of  great  importance.  Working 
under  the  stage  manager,  he  supplies  all  the 
objects  —  such  as  revolvers,  swords,  letters, 
etc.  —  in  a  word,  everything  actually  used 
by  the  actors,  and  not  falling  under  the  cate- 
gories of  "  scenery  ",  "  costumes  ",  and  "  furni- 
ture." 

It  will  be  found  necessary  in  some  cases  to 
add  to  the  staff  one  person  whose  business  it 
is  to  attend  to  the  matter  of  furnishings :  rugs, 
hangings,  pictures,  furniture,  and  so  forth ;  but 
in  case  there  is  no  such  person,  the  property 
man  attends  to  these  details  himself. 

It  cannot  be  too  strongly  urged  that  from 
the  very  first  as  many  "props",  as  much  funii- 


ORGANIZATION  13 

ture  or  as  many  set  pieces  as  possible  (de- 
pending on  whether  the  set  is  an  indoor  or 
outdoor  one),  should  be  used  by  the  actors. 
In  this  way  they  will  be  better  able  to  associate 
their  thoughts,  words,  and  gestures  with  the 
material  objects  with  which  they  will  be  sur- 
rounded on  the  fatal  night.  If  this  is  imprac- 
ticable, that  is,  if  most  of  these  objects  cannot 
be  secured  from  the  first,  then  at  least  some 
good  substitutes  should  be  used.  Such  funda- 
mentally important  articles  as  the  wall  in 
Rostand's  "  The  Romancers  ",  and  the  dentist's 
chair  in  Shaw's  "  You  Never  Can  Tell ",  when 
used  from  the  first  rehearsals,  always  minimize 
the  danger  of  confusion  of  lines  or  business  at 
the  last  moment. 

The  property  man  must  keep  a  list  of 
everything  required;  this  should  be  a  du- 
plicate of  the  one  in  the  possession  of  the 
stage  manager. 

The  Lightman.  Sometimes  even  nowadays 
called  the  "  Gasman."  He  is  not  indispen- 
sable, because  in  almost  every  case  the  regular 
electrician  attends  to  the  switchboard.  How- 
ever, some  one  should  be  with  the  electrician 
at  the  dress  rehearsal  and  on  the  evening  of 
the  performance  to  give  him  the  necessary  light 


14        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

cues.  Usually,  however,  the  stage  manager 
who  holds  the  prompt-book  where  all  the  light 
cues  are  indicated  can  fulfill  this  function. 

The  Costume  Man  (or  Wardrobe  Mistress, 
as  the  case  may  be).  Again  the  duties  are 
simple.  If  the  play  is  a  classic  —  Shake- 
speare, for  instance,  —  the  costumes,  in  ninety- 
nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred,  had  better  be 
rented  from  a  regular  costumer.  The  costume 
man,  then,  together  with  the  business  manager, 
attends  to  the  details  of  renting,  and  sees  that 
all  costumes  are  ready  for  the  dress  rehearsal. 
If  the  costumes  are  made  to  order,  the  matter 
is  supervised  by  the  costume  man.  But,  as 
with  everything  else  connected  with  the  best 
amateur  efforts,  there  should  be  some  expert 
adviser,  not  so  much  one  versed  in  history  and 
archeology  as  an  artist  with  an  eye  for  color 
and  style.  The  director  in  any  event  must 
be  consulted,  so  that  lights,  scenery,  and  cos- 
tumes may  harmonize.  Details  as  to  costumes 
are  to  be  found  in  many  books,  and  need  not 
here  be  discussed.  In  spite  of  a  good  deal  that 
has  been  written  to  the  contrary,  historical 
accuracy  is  not  of  vast  importance:  so  long 
as  there  are  no  glaring  anachronisms,  Shake- 
speare may  be  presented  with  actors  wearing 


ORGANIZATION  15 

pre-  or  post-Elizabethan  costumes,  provided 
they  are  beautiful,  and  harmonize. 

Among  the  thousand  and  one  minor  details 
of  producing,  there  are  some  which  in  large 
productions  might  be  assigned  to  specially 
appointed  individuals,  but  most  of  the  duties 
to  be  briefly  enumerated  below  may  easily  be 
given  over  to  the  stage  manager,  property  man, 
or  costume  man,  or  even  to  the  lightman. 

Handling  and  Setting  of  Scenery  and  Furni- 
ture. This  is  usually  taken  care  of  by  the 
property  man  and  his  assistants,  under  the 
direction  of  the  stage  manager.  As  in  every 
other  branch  of  the  work,  all  details  must  be 
planned  beforehand,  and  recorded. 

Music.  The  music  cues  should  be  marked 
in  the  stage  manager's  prompt-book.  Inci- 
dental music,  whether  it  be  on,  behind,  or 
off-stage  in  the  orchestra  pit,  ought  to  be  re- 
hearsed at  least  two  or  three  times.  On  the 
occasion  of  the  performance,  the  stage  manager 
gives  directions  from  his  prompt-book  for  all 
music  cues. 

Crowds  or  Large  Groups.  The  management 
and  rehearsing  of  crowds  or  large  groups  is 
considered  under  "Rehearsing"  (p.  58). 
Here  it  will  suffice  to  state  that  it  is  well  to 


16        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

have  an  assistant  whose  duty  it  is  to  see  that 
the  "  supes  "  [supernumeraries]  are  conducted 
on  and  off  the  stage  at  the  right  time. 

Among  the  further  details  which  must  be 
looked  after  are  the  duties  which  are  sometimes 
left  to  the  stage  manager :  the  ringing  of  bells, 
calling  of  actors  at  the  regular  performance, 
etc.  A  "  call  boy  "  may  be  delegated  to  do  this. 

Understudies.  Trouble  is  always  likely  to 
arise,  especially  among  amateurs,  because  there 
is  no  effective  method  of  holding  the  actors  to 
strict  account.  Often,  one  or  more  of  the 
cast  finds,  or  thinks  he  finds,  good  reason  for 
leaving  it,  and  a  new  actor  must  sometimes 
be  found  and  trained  to  fill  the  vacancy  on 
perilously  short  notice.  Sickness  or  indisposi- 
tion invariably  give  rise  to  the  same  problem. 
If  possible,  an  entire  second  cast  should  be 
trained,  so  that  any  member  of  it  could  at  a 
moment's  notice  be  called  upon  to  play  in 
the  first  cast.  While  this  second  company 
should  be  letter-perfect  and  know  the  "  busi- 
ness "  in  every  detail,  it  is  not  necessary  that 
their  acting  be  so  finished  and  detailed  as  that  of 
the  others.  Understudy  rehearsals  are  under  the 
direction  of  the  stage  manager,  although  the 
director  should  witness  at  least  two  or  three. 


ORGANIZATION  17 

Since  the  performance  depends  almost  wholly 
on  the  knowledge,  sympathy,  and  taste  of  the 
director,  the  greatest  care  should  be  taken  in 
choosing  him.  Needless  to  say,  the  ideal 
director  does  not  exist;  still,  his  attributes 
should  be  constantly  borne  in  mind.  If  he 
lacks  the  artist's  sense  of  color,  rhythm,  and 
proportion,  then  an  art  adviser  must  be  called 
in  to  suggest  color  schemes  as  regards  cos- 
tumes, scenery,  furniture,  and  lighting.  Nowa- 
days, great  attention  is  being  paid  to  these 
matters,  and  the  subtle  effect  of  background 
and  detail  is  much  greater  than  is  commonly 
supposed.  The  play  is  of  first  importance  — 
that  must  never  be  forgotten  —  but  these 
other  matters  are  too  often  neglected. 

Similarly  with  costumes,  music,  scenery,  it 
is  never  amiss  to  consult  authorities.  But 
once  more  be  it  repeated,  the  whole  produc- 
tion should  bear  the  imprint  of  the  director's 
personality,  because  only  in  this  way  can  we 
hope  for  that  essential  unity  of  effect  which 
is  a  basic  principle  of  all  art. 

Cooperation  with,  but,  in  the  last  analysis, 
subserviency  to,  the  director,  is  the  keynote  of 
success. 


CHAPTER  III 
CHOOSING   THE   CAST 

OBVIOUSLY,  the  choice  of  the  cast  should 
depend  upon  the  ability  of  the  actors,  although 
in  the  case  of  an  organization  like  a  school  or 
college  dramatic  club,  this  system  is  not  always 
practicable  or  even  advisable.  Every  member 
of  such  a  club  should  be  trained  to  work  for  a 
common  end,  and  a  system  by  which  amateurs 
are  made  to  understand  the  necessity  of  assum- 
ing first  small  and  unimportant  roles  and 
working  up  gradually  to  the  greater  and  more 
important  ones,  makes  for  harmony  and  com- 
pleteness of  effect  in  performances.  It  should 
be  one  of  the  chief  ends  of  amateur  producing 
to  get  away  from  the  curse  of  the  professional 
stage:  the  star  system.  It  has  been  stated 
here  that  the  greatest  emphasis  must  be  laid 
on  the  play  itself,  and  no  actor,  professional 
or  amateur,  should  ever  labor  under  the  de- 
is 


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CHOOSING  THE  CAST  19 

lusion  that  he  is  of  greater  or  even  as  great 
importance  as  the  play  in  which  he  strives  to 
act  his  part.  The  average  actor  is  inclined 
to  judge  a  play's  merit  according  to  the  sort 
of  part  it  furnishes  him;  the  amateur  spirit 
has  done  much  to  do  away  with  this  attitude, 
and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  no  coach  will  ever 
do  otherwise  than  discourage  it. 

Competition  as  a  means  of  selecting  a  cast  is 
in  most  cases  the  best  method.  The  play  once 
selected,  the  people  from  among  whom  the 
cast  is  to  be  formed  are  assembled.  It  is  a 
good  plan  to  have  every  one  read  the  play 
first,  and  make  a  study  of  at  least  one  scene  of 
it.  Then,  either  alone  or  in  company  with 
one,  two,  or  three  others,  he  reads  —  or  recites 
from  memory  —  the  scene  in  question,  either 
before  the  entire  club  or  before  a  committee 
of  judges.  Each  actor  is  judged  on  appear- 
ance, ease,  voice,  and  insight  into  the  character 
he  is  portraying.  The  judges,  seconded  pos- 
sibly by  the  members  of  the  club  (whose  votes 
should,  by  the  way,  be  of  only  secondary  im- 
portance) ,  then  select  those  whom  they  consider 
best  fitted  for  the  parts.  In  every  case  the  direc- 
tor should  give  final  sanction  to  the  selection. 

In  cases  where  members  must  at  first  assume 


20        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

only  minor  parts  because  of  club  rules,  there 
may  arise  some  difficulty:  for  example,  a 
beginner  may  be  better  fitted  to  assume  an 
important  r61e  than  older  club  members.  Such 
cases  must  of  course  be  dealt  with  individually. 

In  organizations  which  are  not  run  on  so 
democratic  a  basis,  the  director  selects  the 
cast  himself.  On  the  whole,  this  is  much  the 
best  system,  as  the  director  is  left  a  free  field 
in  which  to  work  out  his  own  problems  in  his 
own  way.  If  it  is  at  all  possible,  an  amateur 
club  ought  to  put  everything,  including  the 
responsibility,  into  the  hands  of  a  competent 
director.  In  this  respect,  the  despotism  of  the 
professional  stage  is  most  beneficial.  Whether 
the  coach  be  an  outsider  hired  for  the  occasion, 
or  a  regular  member  of  the  club,  in  nine  cases 
out  of  ten  he  will  establish  and  maintain  har- 
mony, allow  no  real  talent  to  languish,  and  be 
at  least  in  a  position  to  produce  definite  artistic 
results.  Amateur  management  has  spoiled 
much  good  material.  A  director  with  full 
authority  can  work  more  easily  and  efficiently 
if  left  to  his  own  devices  than  if  trammeled 
with  rules  and  regulations. 

The  theater,  behind  the  scenes,  is  a  despotic 
institution;  it  must  be,  but  the  greatest  care 


CHOOSING  THE  CAST  21 

must  be  taken  in  choosing  the  right  despot. 
Should  the  coach  be  a  professional  manager 
or  actor,  or  should  he  be  an  amateur?  The 
question  is  a  difficult  one.  There  are,  it  goes 
without  saying,  many  excellent  directors  who 
are  or  have  been  professionals;  on  the  other 
hand,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  some  of  the 
best  amateur  work  in  this  country  has  been 
done  by  directors  whose  experience  on  the 
professional  stage  has,  to  say  the  least,  been 
limited.  Some  such  training  is  beneficial,  but 
to  put  a  professional  of  many  years'  experience 
in  charge  of  amateurs  is  likely  to  make  of  the 
amateurs  a  company  of  puppets  imitating  only 
some  of  the  externals  of  professionaldom.  The 
best  director,  therefore,  seems  to  be  a  person 
who  has  some  professional  experience,  but 
who  has  likewise  dealt  with  amateurs;  one 
who  enters  into  the  amateur  spirit,  and  under- 
stands its  difference  from  the  professional 
world,  and  does  not  try  to  train  his  company 
to  imitate  stock  actors  or  "  stars/' 

Understudies  may  be  chosen  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  first  cast. 

After  the  choosing  of  the  casts,  the  next  step 
is  rehearsing.  To  this  complicated  process  the 
next  three  chapters  are  devoted. 


CHAPTER   IV 
REHEAKSING 


THE  first  rehearsal  should  be  "called"  as  soon 
as  possible  after  the  cast  has  been  selected 
and  a  place  chosen  in  which  to  work.  If  the 
play  is  to  be  performed  in  a  regular  theater, 
it  is  wise  to  block  out  the  general  action  and 
have  at  least  the  first  two  or  three  rehearsals 
on  the  stage.  It  would  be  still  better  if  all 
the  rehearsals  could  be  conducted  there,  but 
as  this  is  seldom  possible,  the  stage  manager 
should  take  its  dimensions  and  secure  some 
room  as  near  the  size  of  the  stage  as  he  can 
find.  A  room  too  large  or  too  small,  or  not 
the  requisite  shape,  is  more  than  likely  to  con- 
fuse the  actors.  As  many  of  the  essential 
"  props  "  and  articles  of  furniture  as  possible 
should  be  used  from  the  very  first,  in  order 
to  accustom  the  actors  to  work  under  approxi- 

22 


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REHEARSING  23 

mately  the  same  conditions  as  on  the  occasion 
of  the  performance. 

If  the  play  can  be  secured  in  printed  form, 
each  actor  will  have  his  copy,  and  a  general 
reading  to  the  cast  by  the  director  or  stage 
manager  be  rendered  unnecessary.  However, 
a  few  remarks  by  him  as  to  the  nature  and  spirit 
of  the  play  will  not  be  amiss.  It  is  not  un- 
common to  hear  of  professionals  who  have 
never  read  or  seen  the  entire  play  even  after 
acting  in  it  for  many  months.  Unless  each 
actor  knows  and  feels  what  the  play  is  about 
and  enters  into  its  spirit,  there  can  be  little 
chance  for  unity  and  harmony. 

"  Cutting ",  or  other  alteration,  is  often 
necessary.  The  director  should  read  his  al- 
terations and  allow  each  actor  to  make  his 
text  conform  with  the  prompt-copy. 

When  the  play  is  not  obtainable  in  book 
form,  each  role  is  then  copied  from  the  manu- 
script, together  with  the  "  cues  "  and  all  the 
stage  business.  In  this  case,  a  general  reading 
to  the  cast  is  imperative. 

The  preliminaries  disposed  of,  the  play  is 
read,  each  actor  taking  his  part.  This  is 
merely  to  familiarize  the  actors  with  the  play 
and  show  them  briefly  their  relation  to  each 


24        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

other  and  the  work  as  a  whole.  At  this 
first  rehearsal,  there  should  be  no  attempt 
at  acting;  that  is  reserved  for  the  next 
meeting. 

At  the  second  rehearsal 1  —  which  should 
take  place  the  day  after  the  first  —  the  director 
blocks  out  the  action.  If  the  play  be  a  full- 
length  one  (approximately  two  hours)  then 
one  act  of  this  general  blocking  out  will  be 
found  to  occupy  all  the  time.  If  the  play  is 
in  a  single  act,  and  provided  it  be  not  too  long, 
then  the  entire  play  may  be  blocked  out. 

What  is  "  blocking  out "  ?  Let  us  take  an 
easy  example  and  block  out  the  first  few 
minutes'  of  Wilde's  "  The  Importance  of  Being 
Earnest."2  Here  follows  the  text  of  the  first 
two  and  a  half  pages : 

Scene  —  Morning-room  in  Algernon's  flat  in 
Half  Moon  Street.  The  room  is  luxuriously 
and  artistically  furnished.  The  sound  of  a  piano 
is  heard  in  the  adjoining  room. 

[LANE  is  arranging  afternoon  tea  on  the  table, 
and  after  the  music  has  ceased,  ALGERNON  enters.} 

1The  system  here  followed  must  of  necessity  be  arbitrary, 
but  the  principle  is  easy  to  grasp.  A  great  deal  depends  on  the 
ability  of  the  actors  and  the  time  they  can  afford. 

2  Editions  published  by  French,  Putnam,  Luce,  Nichols,  and 
Baker , 


REHEARSING  25 

ALGERNON.  Did  you  hear  what  I  was  play- 
ing, Lane? 

LANE.     I  didn't  think  it  polite  to  listen,  sir. 

ALGERNON.  I'm  sorry  for  that,  for  your  sake. 
I  don't  play  accurately  —  any  one  can  play 
accurately  —  but  I  play  with  wonderful  ex- 
pression. As  far  as  the  piano  is  concerned, 
sentiment  is  my  forte.  I  keep  science  for 
Life. 

LANE.    Yes,  sir. 

ALGERNON.  And,  speaking  of  the  science  of 
Life,  have  you  got  the  cucumber  sandwiches 
cut  for  Lady  Bracknell  ? 

LANE.  Yes,  sir.  [He  hands  them  on  a 
salver.] 

ALGERNON.  [Inspects  them,  takes  two,  and 
sits  down  on  the  sofa.]  Oh !  ...  by  the  way, 
Lane,  I  see  from  your  book  that  on  Thursday 
night,  when  Lord  Shoreman  and  Mr.  Worthing 
were  dining  with  me,  eight  bottles  of  champagne 
are  entered  as  having  been  consumed. 

LANE.     Yes,  sir,  eight  bottles  and  a  pint. 

ALGERNON.  Why  is  it  that  at  a  bachelor's 
establishment  the  servants  invariably  drink  the 
champagne  ?  I  ask  merely  for  information. 

LANE.  I  attribute  it  to  the  superior  quality 
of  the  wine,  sir.  I  have  often  observed  that 


26        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

in  married  households  the  champagne  is  rarely 
of  a  first-rate  brand. 

ALGEKNON.  Good  Heavens !  Is  marriage  so 
demoralizing  as  that? 

LANE.  I  believe  it  is  a  very  pleasant  state, 
sir.  I  have  had  very  little  experience  of  it 
myself  up  to  the  present.  I  have  only  been 
married  once.  That  was  in  consequence  of  a 
misunderstanding  between  myself  and  a  young 
person. 

ALGERNON.  [Languidly.]  I  don't  know  that 
I  am  much  interested  in  your  family  life,  Lane. 

LANE.  No,  sir;  it  is  not  a  very  interesting 
subject.  I  never  think  of  it  myself. 

ALGERNON.  Very  natural,  I  am  sure.  That 
will  do,  Lane,  thank  you. 

LANE.     Thank  you,  sir.     [LANE  goes  out.] 

ALGERNON.  Lane's  views  on  marriage  seem 
somewhat  lax.  Really,  if  the  lower  orders 
don't  set  us  a  good  example,  what  on  earth  is 
the  use  of  them?  They  seem,  as  a  class,  to 
have  absolutely  no  sense  of  moral  responsibility. 
[Enter  LANE.] 

LANE.  Mr.  Ernest  Worthing.  [Enter  JACK. 
LANE  goes  out.] 

ALGERNON.  How  are  you,  my  dear  Ernest? 
What  brings  you  up  to  town  ? 


REHEARSING  27 

JACK.  Oh,  pleasure,  pleasure!  What  else 
should  bring  me  anywhere?  Eating  as  usual, 
I  see,  Algy? 

ALGERNON.  [Stiffly.]  IJbelieve  it  is  custom- 
ary in  good  society  to  take  some  slight 
refreshment  at  five  o'clock.  Where  have  you 
been  since  last  Thursday? 

JACK.  [Sitting  down  on  the  sofa.]  In  the 
country. 

ALGERNON.  What  on  earth  do  you  do 
there  ? 

JACK.  [Pulling  off  his  gloves.]  When  one  is 
in  town  one  amuses  oneself.  When  one  is  in 
the  country  one  amuses  other  people.  It  is 
excessively  boring. 

ALGERNON.  And  who  are  the  people  you 
amuse  ? 

JACK.     [Airily.]     Oh,  neighbors,  neighbors. 

ALGERNON.  Got  nice  neighbors  in  your  part 
of  Shropshire  ? 

JACK.  Perfectly  horrid!  Never  speak  to 
one  of  them. 

ALGERNON.  How  immensely  you  must  amuse 
them !  (Goes  over  and  takes  sandwich.}  By  the 
way,  Shropshire  is  your  county,  is  it  not  ? 

JACK.  Eh?  Shropshire?  Yes,  of  course. 
Hallo!  Why  all  these  cups?  Why  such  ex- 


28       HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

travagance  in  one  so  young?    Who  is  coming 
to  tea? 

The  first  point  to  be  noticed  is  that  the  stage 
directions  are  not  sufficient.  To  begin  with, 
the  only  information  we  have  as  to  the  morn- 
ing-room is  that  it  is  in  Algernon  Moncrieff's 
flat  in  Half  Moon  Street,  and  that  it  is  "  lux- 
uriously and  artistically  furnished"  The  next 
directions  —  "  LANE  is  arranging  tea  on  a  table" 

—  prove  that  there  is  a  tea-table   with  tea 
things  on  it.     We  are  therefore  dependent  on 
the  ensuing  dialogue  and  the  implied  or  briefly 
described  action  to  furnish  clues  as  to  the  en- 
trances,  furniture,   and   "props"   which   will 
be  required  in  the  course  of  the  act.     It  is,  of 
course,  the  director's  and  the  stage  manager's 
business  to  go  through  the  play  beforehand, 
and  have  all  these  points  well  in  mind.     Let 
us  now  see  how  this  is  done,  and  proceed  to 
block  out  the  first  part  of  the  play. 

The  room  evidently  at  least  has  two  doors : 
one  leading  into  the  hallway  —  up-stage  Center 

—  the   other  halfway   down-stage  Right,1  let 
us  say  for  the  present,  as  in  the  diagram : 

1  Right  and  Left  in  stage  directions  mean  from  the  actors* 
point  of  view.  Up-stage  and  down-stage  mean  respectively  away 
from  and  toward  the  footlights. 


REHEARSING  29 


Center  door 


J 


Before  Algernon's  entrance,  Lane,  the  butler, 
is  preparing  tea.  Where  is  the  table?  Some 
subsequent  business  may  necessitate  its  being 
in  a  position  different  from  the  one  first  chosen, 
but  let  us  assume  that  it  is  up-stage  to  the 
right : 


Tea  taWe 


There  it  is  not  likely  to  be  in  the  way  of  the 
actors ;  furthermore,  it  is  not  on  the  same  side 
of  the  stage  as  the  sofa  —  which  is  the  next 
article  of  furniture  to  be  placed.  If  the  table 
and  the  sofa  and  the  door  were  all  on  the  same 
side  of  the  stage,  it  would  be  much  too  crowded, 
especially  as  the  larger  part  of  the  subsequent 
action  revolves  about  them. 


30       HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

Lane,  then,  is  busied  with  the  tea  things  for 
a  moment,  as  and  after  the  curtain  rises. 
Then  the  music  of  a  piano  is  heard  off-stage 
to  the  right.  It  stops,  and  a  moment  later 
Algernon  enters.  As  he  evidently  has  nothing 
in  particular  to  do  at  that  moment,  he  may 
stand  at  the  center  of  the  stage,  facing  Lane, 
who  stops  his  work  and  respectfully  answers 
his  master's  questions.  When  Algernon  says: 
"  And,  speaking  of  the  science  of  Life,  have 
you  got  the  cucumber  sandwiches  cut  for 
Lady  Bracknell  ?  ",  what  more  natural  than 
that  he  should  look  in  the  direction  of  the 
table,  and  perhaps  even  make  a  step  toward 
it?  Lane  then  goes  to  the  table,  takes  up  the 
salver  with  the  sandwiches  on  it,  and  hands 
it  to  Algernon.  Here  there  are  no  other  direc- 
tions than  "  Hands  them  on  salver"  The 
other  "  business  "  is  inferred  from  the  dialogue. 
Algernon  then  "  Inspects  them,  takes  two,  and 
sits  down  on  the  sofa." 

This  is  the  first  reference  to  the  sofa.  The 
original  prompt-copy  must,  of  course,  have 
made  clear  exactly  where  each  article  of 
furniture  stood,  but,  for  the  reasons  above 
enumerated,  let  us  place  the  sofa  as  in  the 
diagram : 


REHEARSING 


J 


Sofa 


Notice  now  that  nothing  is  said  of  the  salver. 
But  from  the  direction  near  the  top  of  page  3 
—  (Luce  and  Baker  editions)  "  Goes  over  and 
takes  sandwich  "  —  we  may  assume  that  Lane 
takes  the  salver  back  to  the  table.  Un- 
doubtedly, he  does  this  as  Algernon  sits  on 
the  sofa.  This  stage  direction  should  be  in- 
dicated in  the  prompt-copy,  as  well  as  in  that 
of  the  actor  playing  Lane,  as  follows : 


EZ3 


*  -  ^  ^  Lane  takes  salver  to  table 
<\A!gen 


As  soon  as  Lane  has  done  this,  or  even  be- 
fore, Algernon  resumes  his  conversation,  while 
Lane  turns  and  listens  to  him.  Lane  stands 
somewhere  between  the  table  and  the  sofa, 


32        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

at  a  respectful  distance  from  Algernon.  The 
next  "  business  "  occurs  when  Algernon  says 
"  That  will  do,  Lane,  thank  you  ",  and  Lane 
replies  "  Thank  you,  sir  ",  and  goes  out.  This 
brings  up  another  question  which  is  not 
answered,  as  yet  at  least,  in  the  text.  Does 
Lane  go  out  Right?  Possibly;  or  is  there 
another  entrance  Left,  leading  to  the  butler's 
room?  So  far  as  we  are  able  to  determine, 
there  is  no  good  reason  why  the  room  to  the 
right,  where  Algernon  was  playing,  should  not 
lead  to  the  butler's  room,  or  to  wherever  he  is 
supposed  to  go.  And  in  this  case,  there  is 
no  reason  why  Lane  cannot,  during  Algernon's 
soliloquy,  have  heard  the  doorbell  ring, 
answered  it,  and  been  ready  to  reenter,  an- 
nouncing, as  he  does :  "  Mr.  Ernest  Worth- 
ing." Jack  then  enters,  Right.  Although 
again  there  is  no  stage  direction,  it  is  likely 
that  Algernon  rises  to  greet  his  friend  and 
shake  hands  with  him. 

Once  more,  the  stage  directions,  or  rather 
the  want  of  them,  are  apt  to  confuse.  On 
the  top  of  page  3,  we  read  that  Jack  pulls 
"  off  his  gloves"  He  wears  a  hat,  of  course, 
and  probably  a  coat.  He  carries  his  hat  in 
his  hand,  but  presumably  still  wears  his  coat, 


REHEARSING  33 

and  certainly  his  gloves.  Lane,  before  he 
leaves,  would  undoubtedly  take  Jack's  hat, 
help  him  off  with  his  coat,  and  take  them  out 
with  him.  Then,  before  the  two  men  shake 
hands  —  if  they  do  —  Jack  pulls  off  his  gloves. 
Jack's  line,  "  Eating  as  usual,  I  see,  Algy," 
is  sufficient  indication  to  prove  that  in  one 
hand  Algernon  holds  a  sandwich.  Algernon 
then  sits  down.  The  dramatist  would  surely 
have  mentioned  Jack's  sitting  down  if  that 
had  been  his  intention;  therefore  Jack  may 
stand.  Now  comes  the  direction  about  Jack's 
"Pulling  off  his  gloves."  What  does  he  do 
with  them?  For  the  present,  at  least,  let  us 
allow  him  to  go  to  the  tea  table,  and  lay  them 
on  it.  A  moment  later,  Algernon  "  Goes  over 
and  takes  sandwich"  He  stands  by  the  table, 
eating,  and  this  attracts  Jack's  attention  to 
the  somewhat  elaborate  preparations  for  tea. 
Algernon  then  says :  "  By  the  way,  Shrop- 
shire is  your  county,  is  it  not  ?  "  But  Jack, 
too  engrossed  in  the  preparations,  scarcely 
hears  the  other,  and  answers :  "  Eh  ?  Shrop- 
shire? Yes,  of  course,"  and  so  on.  Then 
he  evidently  goes  to  the  tea  table. 

This  is  the  general  method  of  attack  to  be 
pursued.     It  may  be  that  later  in  the  same 


34        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

scene  it  will  be  necessary  to  go  back  and  undo 
some  of  the  "  business ",  because  the  only 
available  text  of  this  play  —  and  this  is  almost 
always  true  of  printed  plays  —  is  not  in  prompt- 
copy  form.  The  making,  therefore,  of  a 
prompt-copy  is  a  slow  process.  First,  the 
director  goes  through  the  play  and  plans  in  a 
general  way  what  the  action  is  to  be,  but 
only  by  rehearsing  his  cast  on  a  particular 
stage  and  under  specific  conditions,  is  he  able 
to  know  every  detail  of  the  action.  By  the 
time  the  actors  are  letter-perfect,  the  prompt- 
copy  ought  likewise  to  be  fairly  perfect.  It 
is  always  dangerous  to  change  "  business " 
after  the  actors  have  memorized  their  parts. 

During  this  preliminary  blocking-out  process, 
little  or  no  attention  need  be  paid  to  details: 
the  mere  outlining  of  the  action,  together  with 
the  reading  of  the  lines  by  the  actors,  is 
sufficient. 

Sometimes  printed  plays  suffer  from  too 
many  stage  directions,  and  occasionally  even 
the  careful  Bernard  Shaw,  as  the  following 
extract  will  prove,  is  far  from  clear.  Here 
are  the  opening  pages  of  "  You  Never  Can 
Tell":1 

1  Published  separately  by  Brentano's. 


REHEARSING  35 

In  a  dentist's  operating  room  on  a  fine  August 
morning  in  1896.  Not  the  usual  tiny  London 
den,  but  the  best  sitting-room  of  a  furnished 
lodging  in  a  terrace  on  the  sea  front  at  a  fashion- 
able watering  place.  The  operating  chair,  with 
a  gas  pump  and  cylinder  beside  it,  is  half  way 
between  the  center  of  the  room  and  one  of  the 
corners.  If  you  look  into  the  room  through 
the  window  which  lights  it,  you  will  see  the  fire- 
place in  the  middle  of  the  wall  opposite  you, 
with  the  door  beside  it  to  your  left;  an  M.R.C.S. 
diploma  in  a  frame  hung  on  the  chimneypiece ; 
an  easy  chair  covered  in  black  leather  on  the 
hearth;  a  neat  stool  and  bench,  with  vice,  tools, 
and  a  mortar  and  pestle  in  the  corner  to  the 
right.  Near  this  bench  stands  a  slender  machine 
like  a  whip  provided  with  a  stand,  a  pedal,  and 
an  exaggerated  winch.  Recognizing  this  as  a 
dental  drill,  you  shudder  and  look  away  to  your 
left,  where  you  can  see  another  window,  under- 
neath  which  stands  a  writing  table,  with  a  blotter 
and  a  diary  on  it,  and  a  chair.  Next  the  writing 
table,  towards  the  door,  is  a  leather  covered  sofa. 
The  opposite  wall,  close  on  your  right,  is  oc- 
cupied mostly  by  a  bookcase.  The  operating 
chair  is  under  your  nose,  facing  you,  with  the 
cabinet  of  instruments  handy  to  it  on  your  left. 


36        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

You  observe  that  the  professional  furniture  and 
apparatus  are  new,  and  that  the  wall  paper,  de- 
signed, with  the  taste  of  an  undertaker,  in  fes- 
toons and  urns,  the  carpet  with  its  symmetrical 
plans  of  rich,  cabbagy  nosegays,  the  glass  gasalier 
with  lustres,  the  ornamental,  gilt-rimmed  blue 
candlesticks  on  the  ends  of  the  mantelshelf,  also 
glass-draped  with  lustres,  and  the  ormolu  clock 
under  a  glass  cover  in  the  middle  between  them, 
its  uselessness  emphasized  by  a  cheap  American 
clock  disrespectfully  placed  beside  it  and  now 
indicating  12  o'clock  noon,  all  combine  with  the 
black  marble  which  gives  the  fireplace  the  air  of 
a  miniature  family  vault,  to  suggest  early  Vic- 
torian  commercial  respectability,  belief  in  money, 
Bible  fetichism,  fear  of  hell  always  at  war  with 
fear  of  poverty,  instinctive  horror  of  the  pas- 
sionate character  of  art,  love  and  the  Roman 
Catholic  religion,  and  all  the  first  fruits  of  plutoc- 
racy in  the  early  generations  of  the  industrial 
revolution. 

There  is  no  shadow  of  this  on  the  two  persons 
who  are  occupying  the  room  just  now.  One  of 
them,  a  very  pretty  woman  in  miniature,  her 
tiny  figure  dressed  with  the  daintiest  gaiety,  is 
of  a  later  generation,  being  hardly  eighteen  yet. 
This  darling  little  creature  clearly  does  not  be- 


REHEARSING  37 

long  to  the  room,  or  even  to  the  country;  for 
her  complexion,  though  very  delicate,  has  been 
burnt  biscuit  color  by  some  warmer  sun  than 
England's;  and  yet  there  is,  for  a  very  subtle 
observer,  a  link  between  them.  For  she  has  a 
glass  of  water  in  her  hand,  and  a  rapidly  clear- 
ing cloud  of  spartan  obstinacy  on  her  tiny  firm 
mouth  and  quaintly  squared  eyebrows.  If  the 
least  line  of  conscience  could  be  traced  between 
those  eyebrows,  an  Evangelical  might  cherish 
some  faint  hope  of  finding  her  a  sheep  in  wolfs 
clothing — for  her  frock  is  recklessly  pretty  — 
but  as  the  cloud  vanishes  it  leaves  her  frontal 
sinus  as  smoothly  free  from  conviction  of  sin  as 
a  kitten's. 

The  dentist,  contemplating  her  with  the  self- 
satisfaction  of  a  successful  operator,  is  a  young 
man  of  thirty  or  thereabouts.  He  does  not  give 
the  impression  of  being  much  of  a  workman: 
his  professional  manner  evidently  strikes  him 
as  being  a  joke;  and  it  is  underlain  by  a  thought- 
less pleasantry  which  betrays  the  young  gentle- 
man still  unsettled  and  in  search  of  amusing 
adventures,  behind  the  newly  set-up  dentist  in 
search  of  patients.  He  is  not  without  gravity  of 
demeanor;  but  the  strained  nostrils  stamp  it  as 
the  gravity  of  the  humorist.  His  eyes  are  clear, 


38        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

alert,  of  sceptically  moderate  size,  and  yet  a  little 
rash;  his  forehead  is  an  excellent  one,  with 
plenty  of  room  behind  it;  his  nose  and  chin 
cavalierly  handsome.  On  the  whole,  an  attrac- 
tive, noticeable  beginner,  of  whose  prospects  a 
man  of  business  might  form  a  tolerably  favorable 
estimate. 

THE  YOUNG  LADY  (handing  him  the  glass). 
Thank  you.  (In  spite  of  the  biscuit  complexion 
she  has  not  the  slightest  foreign  accent.) 

THE  DENTIST  (putting  it  down  on  the  ledge  of  his 
cabinet  of  instruments) .  That  was  my  first  tooth. 

THE  YOUNG  LADY  (aghast).  Your  first!  Do  you 
mean  to  say  that  you  began  practising  on  me  ? 

THE  DENTIST.  Every  dentist  has  to  begin  on 
somebody. 

THE  YOUNG  LADY.  Yes :  somebody  in  a 
hospital,  not  people  who  pay. 

THE  DENTIST  (laughing).  Oh,  the  hospital 
doesn't  count.  I  only  meant  my  first  tooth 
in  private  practice.  Why  didn't  you  let  me 
give  you  gas? 

THE  YOUNG  LADY.  Because  you  said  it 
would  be  five  shillings  extra. 

THE  DENTIST  (shocked).  Oh,  don't  say  that. 
It  makes  me  feel  as  if  I  had  hurt  you  for  the 
sake  of  five  shillings. 


REHEARSING  39 

THE  YOUNG  LADY  (with  cool  insolence).  Well, 
so  you  have!  (She  gets  up.)  Why  shouldn't 
you?  it's  your  business  to  hurt  people.  (It 
amuses  him  to  be  treated  in  this  fashion;  he 
chuckles  secretly  as  he  proceeds  to  clean  and  re- 
place  his  instruments.  She  shakes  her  dress  into 
order,  looks  inquisitively  about  her;  and  goes  to  the 
window.)  You  have  a  good  view  of  the  sea  from 
these  rooms !  Are  they  expensive  ? 

THE   DENTIST.      YeS. 

THE  YOUNG  LADY.  You  don't  own  the  whole 
house,  do  you? 

THE   DENTIST.      No. 

THE  YOUNG  LADY  (takihg  the  chair  which 
stands  at  the  writing  table  and  looking  critically 
at  it  as  she  spins  it  round  on  one  leg).  Your 
furniture  isn't  quite  the  latest  thing,  is  it? 

THE  DENTIST.     It's  my  landlord's. 

THE  YOUNG  LADY.  Does  he  own  that  nice 
comfortable  Bath  chair  ?  (pointing  to  the  operat- 
ing chair). 

THE  DENTIST.  No :  I  have  that  on  the  hire- 
purchase  system. 

THE  YOUNG  LADY  (disparagingly).  I  thought 
so.  (Looking  about  her  again  in  search  of  further 
conclusion.)  I  suppose  you  haven't  been  here 
long? 


40        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

THE  DENTIST.  Six  weeks.  Is  there  anything 
else  you  would  like  to  know  ? 

THE  YOUNG  LADY  (the  hint  quite  lost  on  her). 
Any  family? 

Shaw's  stage  directions  here  are  more  than 
sufficient:  they  are  intended  not  only  for  the 
director,  stage  manager,  property  man,  scene 
painter,  and  actor,  but  for  the  reader  as  well. 
His  directions  are  always  stimulating  and  sug- 
gestive, and  should  be  studied  by  the  actors ; 
but,  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  director  and 
stage  manager,  they  are  bewilderingly  diffuse 
and  sometimes  confusing.  The  fact,  for  in- 
stance, that  the  action  takes  place  precisely 
in  1896,  can  be  of  little  interest  to  the  manager. 
Nor  can  a  clock  indicate  twelve  o'clock  "  noon." 
In  such  stage  directions  as  these  the  director 
will  therefore  have  to  separate  the  purely  me- 
chanical elements  from  the  literary  and  atmos- 
pheric. Let  us  now  apply  ourselves  to  the 
rather  difficult  task  of  making  a  diagram  of 
the  stage  and  its  settings. 

It  is  a  "  fine  August  morning."  The  sun  is 
shining  out-of-doors  and,  as  the  room  looks 
out  over  the  sea,  the  stage  must  be  lighted 
through  one  of  the  windows.  The  dramatist 


REHEARSING  41 

goes  on  to  say  that  the  room  is  "  Not  the  usual 
tiny  London  den,  but  the  best  sitting  room  of  a 
furnished  lodging."  By  inference,  it  is  a  large 
room.  The  operating  chair  is  "  half  way  be- 
tween the  center  of  the  room  and  one  of  the  cor- 
ners." Which  corner  is  not  designated.  Let 
us  try  to  plot  out  the  stage  on  the  assumption 
that  we  are  looking  at  it  through  a  window 
halfway  down-stage  on  the  left  (the  actor's 
left,  of  course).  The  window  which  lights  the 
room  is  placed  thus : 


\ 

'  \ 

% 

I  Chaic         (  Vflndptf 

f  N 

/ 


Looking  through  this  window,  "  you  will  see 
the  fireplace  in  the  middle  of  the  watt  opposite 
you,  mth  the  door  beside  it  to  your  left " : 


i 


Fireplace 


42        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

The  next  article  of  furniture  mentioned  is 
the  easy  chair  "  on  the  hearth  " : 


i 


•^  Easy  efwtfr  v 


Then  come  "  a  neat  stool  and  bench  "  and, 
near  them,  a  dental  drill: 


8er/ch  I 1      Q  OentaJdcitt 

/  Stool    O 


% 
% 
i 


"  Near  it "  is  not  definite,  but  for  the  time 
being,  let  us  allow  it  to  stand  up-stage  near 
the  stool  and  bench,  but  a  little  toward  Center. 
Next,  you  "  look  away  to  your  left,  where  you 
can  see  another  window."  The  direction  here 
is  not  practicable,  but  the  window  may  well 
go  above  the  fireplace,  instead  of  below, 
thus: 


REHEARSING  43 


,'TZ 


Wndow  o  *\ 


/  . 


Underneath  this  window  stands   a  writing 
table  and  a  chair: 


r~ET 


\ 
i 


% 
% 

% 


the  writing  table,  towards  the  door,  is  a 
leather  covered  sofa."  To  add  another  article 
of  furniture  to  this  already  crowded  side  of 
the  stage  would  not  only  make  the  room  ap- 
pear unnatural  to  the  audience,  but  would 
render  it  impossible  for  the  actors  to  move 
about  with  ease.  The  director  will  therefore 
have  to  use  his  ingenuity  and  judgment  as  to 
where  to  put  the  sofa.  Some  subsequent 
"  business  "  may  necessitate  a  change  of  the 
disposition  of  more  than  one  chair  or  sofa  or 
stool,  but  the  process  here  outlined  is  the  first 


44        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

step.  To  proceed :  the  sofa,  then,  must  be 
placed  somewhere  else.  But  where  ?  By  mov- 
ing the  drill  to  the  left,  in  the  corner,  the  sofa 
can  be  placed  next  to  the  table,  as  follows : 


"  The  opposite  wall,  close  on  your  right,  is 
occupied  mostly  by  a  bookcase.  The  operating 
chair  is  under  your  nose,  facing  you,  with  the 
cabinet  of  instruments  handy  to  it  on  your  left.'9 


Q. 


o 
O 


i 


ng  chair 


It  is  at  once  observed  how  necessary  it  was 
to  move  the  drill  from  the  other  side  of  the 
room  to  this :  over  by  the  table,  it  would  be 
out  of  convenient  reach  of  the  dentist. 


REHEARSING  45 

The  difficulty  of  arranging  the  stage  in  this 
case  will  at  once  prove  the  imperative  need  of 
going  through  the  play  with  the  utmost  atten- 
tion to  stage  directions  and  lines,  in  order  to 
make  an  accurate  series  of  stage  diagrams, 
property,  light,  and  furniture  plots. 

Notice  that  in  the  preliminary  stage  direc- 
tions the  center  entrance  is  not  designated.  It 
soon  becomes  evident,  however,  that  a  center 
door  (or  one,  at  least,  at  the  back  of  the  stage) 
is  taken  for  granted. 

This  elementary  diagram  will  serve  as  a 
working  basis.  A  very  little  rehearsing  will 
soon  make  it  necessary  to  arrange  the  furni- 
ture, and  so  on,  in  a  manner  more  pleasing  to 
the  eye  and  more  convenient  to  the  actor. 


Center  door 


/Orn 


c 


CuttetaUne 


There  is  one  more  kind  of  text  with  which 
amateurs  have  to   do:    it   is   the  reprint  of 


46    HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

actual  prompt-copies,  and  is  usually  accu- 
rate in  material  details.  The  following  ex- 
tract is  from  the  opening  pages  of  the  fourth 
act  of  Henry  Arthur  Jones's  "  The  Liars " 
(in  the  special  edition  published  by  Samuel 
French) : 

Scene  :  Drawing-room  in  Sir  Christopher9 s 
flat  in  Victoria  Street.  L.  at  back  is  a  large 
recess,  taking  up  half  the  stage.  The  right  half 
is  taken  up  by  an  inner  room  furnished  as  library 
and  smoking-room.  Curtains  dividing  library 
from  drawing-room.  Door  up-stage,  L.  A 
table  down-stage,  R.  The  room  is  in  great 
confusion,  with  portmanteau  open,  clothes,  etc., 
scattered  over  the  floor;  articles  which  an  officer 
going  to  Central  Africa  might  want  are  lying 
about. 

The  diagram,  as  given  in  the  text,  is  this : 


Recess 


Table 


REHEARSING  47 

This  is  merely  a  skeleton,  as  it  were,  of  a 
diagram,  but  first,  the  preliminary  stage  direc- 
tions —  quoted  above  —  and  the  detailed  and 
full  marginal  and  other  stage  directions  in  the 
text,  make  clear  every  crossing,  entrance,  and 
exit,  and  designate  at  least  the  important 
articles  of  furniture  and  "  props."  For  ex- 
ample, it  is  learned  from  the  text  on  the  first 
and  second  pages  of  the  act,  that  there  is  a 
uniform  case  "  up-Center  "  —  up-stage,  that 
is,  in  the  center  of  it;  a  folding  stool  by  the 
table;  a  trunk  to  the  left  of  Center;  and  a 
sofa  on  the  extreme  left.  Unlike  the  quota- 
tions from  the  Wilde  and  Shaw  plays,  those  of 
Jones  supply  all  necessary  information  to  the 
stage  manager  and  the  actors.  Of  course,  as 
always,  modifications  must  be  made  to  meet 
the  exigencies  of  certain  stages  and  certain 
actors,  but  these  are  minor  matters. 

The  fundamental  principles  of  this  pre- 
liminary blocking-out  having  been  laid  down, 
we  shall  now  proceed  to  a  consideration  of  the 
infinitely  varied  problems  of  grouping  and  de- 
tailed stage  business. 


PROPERTY  OF 

iEPJSBTMfNT  f)f  nPAMITIP  «DT 


CHAPTER  V 
REHEARSING 

n 

WHILE  it  is  true  that  the  possibilities  of 
variation  in  the  matter  of  grouping,  crossing, 
and  so  on,  are  infinite,  still  there  are  some 
definite  principles  to  be  followed. 

Suppose  that  the  blocking-out  process  is 
over  with,  and  the  actors  have  a  fair  idea  of 
their  entrances,  positions,  business,  and  exits. 
The  two  following  extracts  (the  first  from  the 
third  act  of  Jones's  "The  Liars",  the  second 
from  Edouard  Pailleron's  "The  Art  of  Being 
Bored")  serve  to  illustrate  two  ways  of  going 
about  the  problem  of  grouping  actors  on  the 
stage.  The  first  contains  specific  directions, 
the  second  only  the  merest  suggestions.  Below 
is  the  diagram  of  the  stage  in  the  third  act  of 
"The  Liars": 

48 


REHEARSING 


49 


Cacden  cloth 


Passage 


Window 

Chair  0  Armchaicpl  O  O  Chair 
vine 
land 


Up  to  page  107,  which  is  reproduced  on  page 
50,  the  characters  are  grouped  as  indicated : 


Following  carefully  the  stage  directions  in  the 
text  and  on  the  margin,  the  action  is  traced  as 
follows : 

Mrs.  Crespin  shakes  hands  with  Sir 
Christopher.  Then  (marginal  note)  "Sir  C. 
opens  door  L.  for  Mrs.  Crespin  "  : 


50     HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 


MRS.  CRESPIN.1  They  all  stand  looking  at  each 
other,  nonplussed.  SIR  CHRISTOPHER  slightly  touch- 
ing his  head  with  perplexed  gesture.) 

SIR  C. 
Our  fib  won't  do. 

LADY  R. 
Freddie,  you  incomparable  nincompoop ! 

FREDDIE. 

I  like  that !  If  I  hadn't  asked  her,  what  would  have 
happened  ?  George  Nepean  would  have  come  in,  you'd 
have  plumped  down  on  him  with  your  lie,  and  what 
then?  Don't  you  think  it's  jolly  lucky  1  said  what  I 
did?2 

SIR  C. 

It's  lucky  in  this  instance.  But  if  I  am  to  embark 
any  further  in  these  imaginative  enterprises,  I  must 
ask  you,  Freddie,  to  keep  a  silent  tongue. 

FREDDIE. 
What  for? 

SIR  C. 

Well,  old  fellow,  it  may  be  an  unpalatable  truth  to 
you,  but  you'll  never  make  a  good  liar.3 

FREDDIE. 

Very  likely  not.     But  if  this  sort  of  thing  is  going  on 
in  my  house,  I  think  I  ought  to. 
LADY  R.4 
Oh,  do  subside,  Freddie,  do  subside ! 

LADY  J.* 

Yes,  George  —  and  perhaps  Gilbert  —  will  be  here 
directly.  Oh,  will  somebody  tell  me  what  to  do? 


i  Sir  C. 

opens 
door  L. 
for  Mrs. 
Crespin; 
after  her 
exit, 
closes 
door. 
They  all 
turn  and 
look  at 
Sir  C. 
He  sinks 
into  a 
chair  up 
C.,and 
shakes 
his  head 
at  them. 

*Lady 
Jess,  sits 
L.C.  Sir 
Chris, 
puts  hat 
on  book- 
case C., 
and 
comes 
down  C. 

» Lady  R. 
and 
Lady 
Jess, 
agree 
with  Sir 
C. 

4  Crosses 
to  him  C. 
Freddie 
sits  R.  C. 
annoyed. 

*  5th  call. 
George. 


REHEARSING  51 

Then,  "after  her  exit,  closes  door.  They  all 
turn  and  look  at  Sir  C.  He  sinks  into  a  chair 
and  shakes  his  head  at  them."  Into  which 
chair  does  he  sink?  Since  in  a  moment  he 
must  put  his  hat  on  the  bookcase,  Center,  he 
had  better  sit  on  the  chair  to  the  right  of  it : 

, t 

/  \ 

ft    o  n  \ 

I  SitC  X  V 

/  \\ 

I  V 

/  \ 

I  \ 

I  * 

/  \ 

I  t 

Then,  at  the  end  of  Freddie's  speech,  "Lady 
Jess,  sits  L.  C.  [left  of  Center] .  Sir  Chris,  puts  hat 
on  bookcase  C.,  and  comes  down  C." 


i 

\ 

l 

\ 

Q 

\ 
\ 

S> 

\ 

\ 

\\ 

\ 

\\ 

\ 

\\ 

s***^                 \ 

\       \ 

siccV 

*)               ^ 

Lady  Jess.  \ 

The  last  speech  of  Lady  Rosamund  on  this 
page  is  accompanied  by  the  following  stage 


52     HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

direction:    "Crosses  to  him   [Sir  Christopher] 
C.    Freddie  sits  R.C.  annoyed" 


This  is  very  simple,  but  only  in  the  rarest 
instances  are  stage  directions  so  carefully 
worked  out  and  indicated.  The  director  will 
usually  be  confronted  by  long  pages  where 
there  are  few  or  no  definite  or  dependable 
directions.  The  original  text  of  Shakespeare 
affords  us  only  the  most  elementary  explana- 
tions of  stage  "business",  so  that  when  Shake- 
speare is  produced  it  is  wisest  to  use  one  of 
the  many  stage  editions,  in  which  the  tradi- 
tional directions,  or  others  equally  good,  are 
given  at  some  length.  Usually,  however,  the 
director  will  be  aided  by  directions  which  are 
fairly  full  and  fairly  accurate,  but  never  quite 
dependable.  The  following  excerpt  —  from 
"The  Art  of  Being  Bored  "  — qontains  the 


REHEARSING 


53 


ordinary  sort  of  directions,  the  kind  that  are 
found  in  good  plays  and  bad.  The  set  is  de- 
scribed in  the  first  act  as  being : 

"  A  drawing-room,  with  a  large  entrance  at 
the  back,  opening  upon  another  room.  Entrances 
up-  and  down-stage.  To  the  left,  between  the 
two  doors,  a  piano.  Right,  an  entrance  down- 
stage; farther  up,  a  large  alcove  with  a  glazed 
door  leading  into  the  garden;  a  table,  on  either 
side  of  which  is  a  chair;  to  the  right,  a  small 
table  and  a  sofa;  arm-chairs,  etc." 
This  may  be  plotted  in  the  following  manner : 


I  sofa    J  ) 

/Poor  left, 


There  are  no  specific  directions  as  to  the 
position  of  the  sofa  and  chairs,  but  as  a  large 
number  of  characters  are  on  the  stage  at  one 
time,  a  great  many  will  be  necessary.  The 
exact  number  of  chairs,  as  well  as  the  positions 
they  will  have  to  occupy,  depend  largely  on 


54     HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

the  size  and  shape  of  the  stage.  The  above 
diagram  will  serve  at  first  as  a  working  basis. 
Turning  to  the  opening  of  the  second  act,  we 
find  the  following  directions  : 

(Same  as  Act  1. 

(Bellac,  Toulonnier,  Roger,  Paul  Raymond, 
Madame  de  CSran,  Madame  de  Loudan,  Madame 
Arriego,  the  Duchess,  Suzanne,  Lucy,  Jeanne 
seated  in  a  semi-circle,  listening  to  Saint-Reault9 
who  is  finishing  his  lecture). 


SAINT-REAULT.  And,  make  no  mistake  about 
it!  Profound  as  these  legends  may  appear 
because  of  their  baffling  exoticism,  they  are 
merely  —  my  illustrious  father  wrote  in  1834 
— elemental,  primitive  imaginings  in  comparison 
with  the  transcendental  conceptions  of  Brahmin 
lore,  gathered  together  in  the  Upanishads,  or 
indeed  in  the  eighteen  Paranas  of  Vyasa,  the 
compiler  of  the  Vedda. 


REHEARSING  55 

JEANNE  (aside  to  Paul).    Are  you  asleep? 

PAUL.  No,  no  —  I  hear  some  kind  of  gib- 
berish. 

SAINT-REAULT.  Such,  in  simple  terminology, 
is  the  concretum  of  the  doctrine  of  Buddha.  — 
And  at  this  point  I  shall  close  my  remarks. 

(Murmurs.     Some  of  the  audience  rise). 

Here  two  or  three  —  Bellac  and  Roger,  and 
one  of  the  ladies,  let  us  say  —  rise,  and  chat  in 
undertones  in  a  small  group  among  themselves. 

SEVERAL  VOICES  (weakly).  Very  good! 
Good! 

SAINT-REAULT.    And  now — (He  coughs). 

MADAME  DE  CERAN  (eagerly).  You  must  be 
tired,  Saint-Reault? 

At  this,  Madame  de  Ceran  might  well  rise, 
as  if  to  put  an  end  to  Saint-Reault's  speech. 
The  others  are  impatient,  and  perhaps  one  or 
two  start  to  rise.  The  others  whisper,  or  ap- 
pear to  do  so.  Then  Saint-Reault  continues : 

SAINT-REAULT.    Not  at  all,  Countess ! 
MADAME  ARRIEGO.      Oh,  yes,  you  must  be; 
rest  yourself.     We  can  wait. 

It  is  likely  that  here  Madame  Arriego  would 


56     HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

rise  and  go  to  Saint-Reault.     Two  or  three 
others  would  follow  her. 

SEVERAL  VOICES.     You  must  rest ! 

MADAME  DE  LOUDAN.     You  can't  always  re- 
main in  the  clouds.    Come  down  to  earth,  Baron. 

SAINT-REAULT.     Thank  you,  but  —  well,  you 
see,  I  had  already  finished. 

(Everybody  rises). 

Saint-Reault's  audience  may  then  form  into 
small  groups,  somewhat  as  follows : 


Care  must  be  taken  not  to  give  the  stage  a 
crowded  appearance,  nor  yet  an  air  of  too  well- 
ordered  symmetry.  To  continue : 

SEVERAL  VOICES.  So  interesting !  —  A  little 
obscure !  —  Excellent !  —  Too  long ! 

BELLAC  (to  the  ladies).     Too  materialistic! 
PAUL  (to  Jeanne}.    He's  bungled  it. 


REHEARSING 


57 


SUSANNE  (calling).     Monsieur  Bellac! 
BELLAC.     Mademoiselle  ? 
SUSANNE.     Come  here,  near  me. 

(Bellac  goes  to  her). 
ROGER  (aside  to  the  Duchess).    Aunt! 

The  direction  "aside  to  the  Duchess"  shows 
that  (1)  Roger,  after  the  company  rose,  either 
went  to  the  Duchess;  or  that,  (2)  meantime 
he  goes  to  her.  This  may  be  done  either  way, 
so  long  as  the  two  are  within  reasonable  whis- 
pering distance. 

DUCHESS  (aside  to  Roger).  She's  doing  it  on 
purpose ! 

SAINT-REAULT  (coming  to  table).  One  word 
more!  (General  surprise.  The  audience  sit 
down  in  silence  and  consternation). 

Bearing  in  mind  the  change  of  position  of 
Bellac,  Roger,  and  Saint-Reault,  we  may  re- 
seat the  characters  as  follows  : 


58     HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

While,  as  has  been  said,  grouping  depends  to 
a  great  extent  on  the  size  and  shape  of  the 
stage,  it  should  always  be  borne  in  mind  that 
the  stage  should  in  most  cases  be  made  to 
resemble  a  picture  as  regards  balance  and 
composition.  This  means  that  the  director 
must  avoid  crowding;  that  the  actors  must 
learn  to  take  their  places  as  part  of  that  pic- 
ture, and  not  attempt  either  to  usurp  the 
center  of  the  stage  or  to  disappear  behind 
other  actors.  No  grouping  should  ever  be 
left  to  chance  or  the  inspiration  of  the  moment ; 
every  actor  must  have  marked  down  in  his  own 
script  every  movement  he  makes.  Groups  and 
crowds  require  a  great  deal  of  rehearsing,  in 
order  that  they  may  always  assume  the  right 
position  at  the  right  moment. 

When  an  impression  of  vast  numbers  of 
people  is  desired  —  as  in  "Julius  Caesar"  — 
large  numbers  of  "supes"  are  not  needed. 
Eight  or  ten  or  twelve  people,  well  managed, 
are  sufficient  to  create  an  effect  of  this  sort  on 
a  small  stage,  and  perhaps  twenty  on  a  large. 
The  basic  principle  of  the  art  of  the  theater  is 
suggestion,  not  reproduction. 

In  the  "forum  scene"  of  Shakespeare's 
"Julius  Csesar"  there  are  practically  no  stage 


REHEARSING  59 

directions.  The  management  of  the  mob, 
therefore,  is  left  entirely  to  the  director.  When 
the  Third  Citizen  says:  "The  noble  Brutus  is 
ascended.  Silence!"  we  are  of  course  given 
to  understand  —  by  the  word  "  Silence ! "  — 
that  there  has  been  some  noise  and  confusion. 
The  text  affords  the  most  important  indi- 
cations. 

Plot  out,  for  practice,  the  position  of  the 
various  members  of  the  mob  throughout  this 
scene. 

As  a  rule,  the  best  impression  of  a  crowd  is 
made  by  massing  and  manipulating  groups  of 
from  three  to  six  individuals.  If  movement 
is  demanded,  it  must  be  precise  and  measured 
out  carefully  during  rehearsals.  Therefore, 
since  it  is  nearly  always  impossible  to  get 
trained  actors  to  compose  mobs,  it  is  well  to 
intersperse  two  or  three  "leaders"  in  any 
crowd,  who  will  give  the  cue  for  concerted 
action. 

The  foregoing  discussion,  both  in  the  present 
and  preceding  chapter,  has  been  made  largely 
from  the  director's  and  the  stage  manager's 
viewpoint.  Let  us  now  go  back  to  the  actor, 
and  suggest  a  few  methods  which  will  help 
him. 


60     HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

An  easy  and  vivid  way  of  remembering 
"business"  at  first  is  to  make  a  very  simple 
diagram,  thus : 

I  ~|  Small  table  \ 

r\ 

/    o\n          /\ 

I          ^^    \\   '  >v  * 

/  \  \  target  table  and  chaie  **a      X  t 

1  \     ^^  /  * 

/;     .         '    V^  / 

Supposing  A,  who  stands  down-stage  before 
the  sofa,  crosses  up-stage  to  the  small  table, 
as  he  says:  "I'll  not  stand  it  any  longer!" 
Just  after  this  line,  the  actor  places  a  mark 
referring  him  to  the  margin  of  his  "script", 
and  makes  another  diagram : 


\ 
\ 
\ 

\ 

\ 

\ 

\ 

\ 


\ 
\ 
\ 


This  represents  A  crossing  to  up-stage,  left 
of  the  small  table.  In  this  way,  when  the 
actor  is  studying  his  lines,  he  cannot  help 


REHEARSING  61 

studying  the  "business",  and  vice  versa;  and 
since  lines  and  "business"  almost  always  go 
hand  in  hand,  he  will  run  no  danger  of  having 
first  learned  the  one  without  the  other. 

Considerable  confusion  is  likely  to  arise 
when  an  overzealous  director  insists  that  his 
actors  be  "letter  perfect"  before  the  "busi- 
ness" is  well  formulated  and  worked  out  and 
thoroughly  learned. 

In  the  first  chapter  on  Rehearsing,  the 
blocking-out  process  was  discussed,  but  the 
order  in  which  each  act  was  to  be  rehearsed, 
the  time  to  be  spent  on  it,  etc.  —  these  matters 
were  deferred,  and  will  now  be  taken  up. 

At  the  next  rehearsal  —  that  is,  after  the 
blocking-out  of  the  first  act  —  the  second  is 
treated  in  the  same  way.  And  after  the 
last  act  has  been  blocked  out,  the  first  should 
be  rehearsed  with  greater  care.  Details  of 
"business",  grouping,  the  delivery  of  lines  — 
especially  the  correction  of  errors  in  interpre- 
tation —  must  be  carefully  considered.  Prob- 
ably some  of  the  "business"  blocked  out  in 
the  first  rehearsal  will  have  to  be  changed,  or 
at  least  amplified.  Entrances  and  exits  must 
be  repeatedly  rehearsed  until  they  go  smoothly. 
The  crossings  and  recrossing  of  one,  two,  or 


62        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

more  characters,  can  scarcely  be  rehearsed  too 
often. 

Let  us  take  a  few  examples  of  this  sort  of 
detail  work.  A  man  comes  home  late,  tired 
and  hungry.  Outside  the  sitting  room  through 
an  open  door,  is  seen  the  hatrack.  How  can 
this  simple  incident  be  made  to  appear  true 
and  interesting?  Here  is  at  least  one  manner 
of  accomplishing  it:  a  door  is  heard  closing 
off-stage;  footsteps  resound  in  the  hall.  A, 
the  man,  appears,  wearing  a  hat,  overcoat, 
and  gloves,  at  the  Center  door,  looks  into 
the  room  to  see  whether  any  one  is  present, 
seems  surprised,  utters  a  short  exclamation, 
and  then  turns  to  the  hatrack.  His  back  to 
the  audience,  he  takes  off  his  hat,  hangs  it 
carelessly  on  a  hook,  then  slowly  draws  off  his 
gloves,  allows  his  coat  to  fall  from  his  shoulders, 
looks  at  himself  in  the  glass  for  an  instant,  and 
then,  with  a  sigh,  comes  into  the  room  again. 

The  incident,  of  course,  is  capable  of  a 
hundred  variations,  depending  upon  the  char- 
acter of  the  man,  the  circumstances  under 
which  he  comes  home,  and  so  forth. 

Or,  a  little  more  complicated  instance :  A,  B, 
and  C,  three  men,  are  seated,  talking  after 
dinner.  They  are  stationed  as  follows : 


REHEARSING 


A  sits  on  the  arm  of  the  davenport,  B  on  the 
davenport  itself,  and  C  in  a  chair  at  the  lower 
right-hand  side  of  the  table. 

Notice  first  that  the  davenport  is  not  placed 
at  right  angles  to  the  audience ;  this  is  done  so 
that  two  people,  sitting  side  by  side,  may  be 
better  seen  by  the  "house."  Notice,  too,  that  A 
is  at  the  extreme  left-hand  corner  of  the  daven- 
port. Visualize  this  for  an  instant:  here  is 
proportion,  line,  and  balance,  but  without  the 
appearance  of  stiffness  or  symmetry,  which 
should  always  be  avoided.  B  rises  and  stands 
before  the  fireplace :  again  notice  the  grouping : 


/ 

1 
f 

/ 

LL 

u 

1 
1 
1 
1 

>s< 

1 

1 

/ 

t 
1 

*         y»-N~ 

X^  ^  ' 

64        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

A  then  rises  and  goes  to  the  center  of  the 
stage,  standing  near  the  left  of  the  table : 


This  simple  moving  about  the  room  should 
never  be  obtrusive ;  that  is  to  say,  the  audience 
must  never  be  conscious  of  the  director's  hand. 
First,  every  bit  of  "business",  every  move, 
every  gesture,  must  be  justified,  otherwise  it 
calls  attention  to  itself.  This  is  a  distinct 
problem  with  amateurs,  who  naturally  find  it 
difficult  not  to  move  about  when  they  have 
nothing  else  to  do.  They  feel  self-conscious 
unless  they  are  "acting."  The  best  rule  for 
any  amateur  —  although  it  is  again  the  di- 
rector who  is  responsible  and  should  look 
after  this  —  is,  never  to  do  anything  unless 
he  knows  precisely  why  he  does  it,  and  unless 
he  feels  it. 

One  further  example :  imagine  a  five-minute 
conversation,  in  the  text  of  which  there  are  no 
stage  directions.  It  is  between  two  women: 


REHEARSING  65 

D  and  E.  They  are  seated,  one  in  an  arm- 
chair by  the  fire,  the  other  in  an  ordinary 
chair  to  the  right  of  a  library  table: 


There  are  not  many  plays  in  which  two 
characters  merely  converse  for  so  long  a  period 
without  well-motivated  reasons,  but  it  is  well 
to  take  an  extreme  example.  Let  us  assume 
that  D  is  telling  E  the  story  of  her  life,  and 
that  for  two  minutes  her  speech  contains  little 
more  than  straight  narrative.  Suddenly  she 
tells  a  sad  incident,  and  E,  who  has  a  sympa- 
thetic nature,  wipes  her  eyes  with  her  hand- 
kerchief. D  continues,  and  E,  no  longer  able 
to  restrain  her  tears  but  not  wishing  to  show 
her  emotion  to  D,  rises  and  goes  to  the  left  of 
the  stage  for  a  moment  or  two.  The  long 
conversation  scene  is  now  broken  up  by  a 
natural  bit  of  action.  While  in  life  such  a 
conversation  might  consume  hours,  on  the 
stage  it  must  be  made  more  attractive  and 


66        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

emotionally  stimulating;  in  the  theater,  the 
appeal  is  through  the  eye  and  ear,  to  the 
emotions. 

Such  a  scene  as  the  one  just  outlined  must 
be  repeatedly  rehearsed,  until  every  detail  of 
the  "business"  is  worked  out  perfectly. 

After  approximately  ten  days'  work  on  the 
first  act  —  during  which  period  each  of  the 
other  acts  should  be  run  through  at  least  three 
times  —  the  actors  should  be  letter  perfect 
and  able  to  give  a  fairly  smooth  performance. 

Then  the  other  acts  are  rehearsed  in  like 
manner.  Each  act,  after  it  is  finished  in  this 
way,  must  be  rehearsed  at  least  every  three 
or  four  days.  When  all  the  acts  have  been 
worked  out,  then  each  rehearsal  is  devoted  to 
going  through  the  whole  play.  Minor  points 
in  acting,  minor  "business",  rendering  of  the 
lines,  voice,  gesture,  etc.,  must  naturally  be 
insisted  upon.  Special  cases  must  be  dealt 
with  outside  the  regular  rehearsals,  for  the 
play  should  be  interrupted  as  seldom  as  possible, 
because  it  is  wise  to  let  the  actors  become  ac- 
customed to  going  through  the  entire  piece. 
It  will  be  found  expeditious,  too,  for  small 
groups  of  characters  who  have  scenes  together 
to  rehearse  by  themselves.  The  full  rehearsals 


REHEARSING  67 

of  the  play  are  valuable  both  to  actors  and  the 
director,  for  the  latter  is  given  a  general  view 
of  his  stage  pictures  which  could  in  no  other 
way  be  afforded  him,  and  he  is  in  a  position 
to  judge  of  his  general  and  massed  effects. 
At  the  same  time  the  actors  will  more  readily 
enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  work  if  they  are 
permitted  to  play  without  interruption.  Where 
the  actors  forget  their  lines,  they  should  be 
prompted  without  other  delay,  but  if  they  do 
anything  actually  wrong,  or  if  the  director 
wishes  to  make  an  important  change,  the  per- 
formance must,  of  course,  be  stopped  for  a 
moment. 

The  number  of  rehearsals  necessary  for  the 
production  of  a  play  by  amateurs  depends 
largely  on  the  attitude  of  the  amateurs  them- 
selves, and  the  amount  of  time  at  their  disposal. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  ninety-nine  out  of  a 
hundred  such  performances  suffer  noticeably 
from  need  of  rehearsing.  Nor  is  this  to  be 
wondered  at,  for  the  average  professional  play 
usually  requires  four  or  five  weeks'  rehearsing 
—  seven  to  eight  hours  daily  —  for  six  and 
sometimes  seven  days  in  the  week !  Of  course, 
an  amateur  is  an  amateur  because  he  is  not  a 
professional,  and  he  cannot  afford  very  much 


68        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

time  for  work  which  is  after  all  only  a  pastime. 
One  other  point  should  be  well  borne  in  mind : 
the  average  amateur  has  not  the  patience  of 
the  professional.  If  he  is  rehearsed  too  long 
or  too  steadily,  he  will  grow  "stale",  and  lose 
interest  in  his  work. 

Still,  no  full-length  play  can  safely  be  pro- 
duced with  less  than  four  weeks'  work,  on  an 
average  of  five  rehearsals  of  three  hours  each, 
per  week.  (This  does  not  include  special  and 
individual  outside  rehearsals.)  Four  weeks  is 
the  shortest  time  that  can  be  allowed,  while 
six  or  seven  should  be  devoted  to  it.  So  much 
time  is  not  necessary  in  order  that  the  com- 
pany may  attempt  to  become  professionals ; 
that  would  be  impossible  and  not  at  all  advis- 
able. The  amateur,  if  rightly  trained,  should 
be  able  to  impart  a  certain  natural,  naive,  un- 
professional tone  to  the  part  he  is  impersonat- 
ing, but  this  can  only  be  done  by  constant 
rehearsing.  The  director  usually  finds  that 
the  amateur's  first  instinct  is  to  imitate  the 
tricks  of  the  professional  actor,  and  not  allow 
himself  to  feel  the  character  of  the  role.  The 
professional  quickly  assimilates  mannerisms 
which  are  only  too  likely  to  become  mechanical, 
but  which  the  amateur,  because  he  is  an  ama- 


REHEARSING  69 

teur,  is  not  likely  to  learn,  if  at  first  he  is  trained 
to  avoid  them. 

There  is  no  particular  excuse  for  presenting 
plays  which  can  be  seen  acted  anywhere  and 
any  time  by  professionals;  amateurs  should 
strive  to  produce  classics,  or  modern  plays 
which  for  one  reason  or  another  are  not  often 
seen,  and  impart  to  them  that  peculiar  flavor 
which  charms  as  well  as  interests  and  attracts. 
Nor  is  there  much  use  in  the  amateur  actor's 
striving  to  become  professional  in  manner :  he 
cannot  hope,  in  the  short  time  he  can  spare  for 
his  work,  to  become  a  good  professional;  or, 
if  he  gives  signs  of  becoming  such,  then  he  no 
longer  belongs  in  amateur  dramatics.  Allow 
the  amateur  plenty  of  leeway  in  the  matter 
of  interpretation,  if  he  has  any  original  ideas 
of  his  own;  but  of  course  these  must  never 
be  at  variance  with  the  general  idea  of  the 
play.  Let  him  work  out  his  own  salvation : 
here  lies  the  value  of  amateur  production, 
both  to  the  actor  and  to  the  audience. 

Often  amateurs  are  called  upon  to  portray 
feelings,  actions,  passions,  of  which  they  have 
no  knowledge  or  experience.  Love  scenes,  for 
instance,  are  invariably  difficult.  In  this  case, 
the  actors  must  be  taught  a  few  conventional 


70        HOW  TO  PKODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

gestures,  attitudes,  and  tricks,  but  they  should 
not  be  permitted  —  except  in  rare  cases  —  to 
lay  much  stress  on  the  acting.  This  also  ap- 
plies to  such  purely  conventional  matters  as  kiss- 
ing, dying,  fighting,  etc.,  for  which  a  set  of  recog- 
nized technical  tricks  has  been  evolved.  Any 
competent  director  can  train  actors  to  do  this. 

One  more  point  before  this  part  of  rehearsing 
is  dispensed  with :  amateur  productions  suffer 
largely  from  a  lack  of  continuous  tension  and 
variety.  Often  the  action  is  slow,  jerky,  and 
consequently  tedious.  Constant  rehearsing, 
with  a  view  to  inspiring  greater  confidence 
and  sureness  in  the  actors,  under  a  good  direc- 
tor, is  the  best  means  to  overcome  these  great 
drawbacks.  The  last  eight  or  ten  rehearsals, 
after  the  cast  are  familiar  with  their  lines  and 
"business",  are  the  most  important  in  the 
matter  of  tempo.  Details  of  shading,  well- 
developed  and  modulated  action,  and  a  well- 
defined  climax,  are  what  must  be  worked  for. 
When  the  actors  are  no  longer  thinking  of 
when  they  must  cross  or  sit  down  or  rise,  they 
are  ready  to  enter  whole-heartedly  into  the 
spirit  of  the  pl#y  as  an  artistic  unit. 

As  an  example,  on  a  small  scale,  of  how  a 
scene  may  be  modulated  and  shaded,  two  pages 


REHEARSING 


71 


from  Meilhac  and  Halevy's  "Indian  Summer" 
(published  by  Samuel  French)  are  here  re- 
printed with  marginal  notes  explaining  how 
these  effects  are  obtained. 


Slowly 

and 

quietly. 


Slight  in- 
crease of 
speed  and 
tension. 


Slowly 
rising 
tension 
and  speed. 


Staccato. 


Emphasis, 

Momen- 
tary 
pause. 

Dimin- 
uendo. 
Tense, 
but  quiet. 


Slight  in- 
crease 
again. 


I     ADR.    Just  a  moment  ago  I  forgot  that  such  a  thing 
was  out  of  the  question  — 
BRI.     Why  out  of  the  question  —  ? 
ADR.     Why,  because  — 

f     BRI.     Because  what  ?    How  much  did  that  American 
I  family  pay  you  ?     I'll  give  you  twice  as  much  —  three 
<  times  as  much.     WTiatever  you  want ! 
ADR.    Only  to  read  to  you  ? 
BRI.     Why,  yes. 

ADR.  That  wouldn't  be  so  bad  —  there's  just  one 
thing  against  it  —  it  might  be  just  a  wee  bit  compromis- 
ing! 

BRI.     Oh ! 

ADR.    Really,  don't  you  think  so  ?    Just  a  bit  ? 
BRI.     At  my  age  ? 

ADR.  (gaily).  Oh,  it's  all  very  well  —  a  young  person 
like  me  —  alone  with  you.  (Seriously.)  Oh,  if  you 
only  didn't  live  alone  — ! 

BRI.     If  I—?    If  I  weren't  alone? 
(     ADR.     If  you   only   had   some   relatives  —  married 
^  relatives  —  your  nephew,  for  instance,  with  his  wife  — 
[then  I  might  — 

BRI.  Once  more,  don't  speak  to  me  of  — !  He's  the 
one  that  brought  all  this  trouble  on  us  —  that  letter 
that  forces  you  to  —  that  letter  came  from  him. 
(ADRIENNE  makes  a  quick  movement  of  protest.)  Tisn't 
his  fault,  I  know,  but  I  hold  a  grudge  against  him  as  if 
it  were  — 

ADR.     And  yet,  if  I  told  you  — 
•BRI.  (stopping  her).     Shh!     If  you  please.     (Pause.) 
ADR.  (moved).    Then  I  must  go.     That  was  the  only 
way ;  and  you  don't  want  to  do  that.     I'm  sure  I  don't 
know  what  will  happen  afterward.      I  still  hope  —  But 
for  the  moment,  I  must  (Mild  access  of  crying).     Oh 
Fm  sorry  —  so  sorry  —  (Falls  into  chair  at  side  of  table), 
r     BRI.     (excitedly).     Adrienne! 

I  ADR.  (recovering  mastery  over  herself).  I  beg  your 
)  pardon —  there!  There!  (Brushing  away  her  tears). 
( See,  it's  all  over! 


72        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 


Quickly-- 
increasing 
rise. 


Quickly. 


Moment 
of  sus- 
pense. 
Climax. 


High  ten- 
sion after 
the 

climax, 
and  pre- 
paratory 
to  another 
climax 
later  on. 


BRI.     Adrienne ! 

ADR.  (rising).     Monsieur! 

BRI.  It's  true,  then,  if  there  were  some  way,  you 
would  — ?  Not  the  way  I  mentioned  just  now  —  but 
another  —  you  wouldn't  leave,  would  you  ?  You'd 
stay  here  —  near  me  —  always  —  and  be  happy  ? 

ADR.  (lightly).  Oh  yes,  it's  too  —  I  say  it  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart ! 

BRI.     Very  well,  you  shan't  go. 

No,  you  shan't  go. 
But  — how?  — Why? 
I  have  found  a  way ! 
And  it  is  ? 

To  make  you  my  wife ! 
(Sits  down  again,  overcome). 
I'll  do  it !  —  Go  and  speak  to  your  Aunt  — 
Come  here!     (Enter  NOEL,   right,   carrying  a 
bundle  of  papers).     Come  here !    Don't  be  afraid  !    You 
may  go  and  get  your  wife.     Bring  her  here !    I'll  forgive 
her  as  I  forgive  you !     (Shakes  hands  loarmly  with  NOEL)  . 
NOEL.     Uncle ! 

BRI.  You  were  right  —  now  I  know  it !  What  do  I 
care  if  she  is  a  watchmaker's  daughter?  Go  and  get 
your  wife  —  bring  her  here  —  and  we'll  live  together, 
the  four  of  us  — 

NOEL.     All  four  of  us  ? 

BRI.  Yes,  all  four!  (To  ADRIENNE).  I  am  going 
to  speak  to  your  Aunt  —  I'll  be  back  at  once.  (Exit 
Center). 


CHAPTER  VI 
REHEARSING 

m 

THE  dress  rehearsal  usually  takes  place  on  the 
night  before  the  regular  performance. 

Every  effort  must  be  made  on  this  occasion 
to  have  conditions,  on  the  stage  and  behind  it, 
as  nearly  as  possible  like  those  under  which 
the  play  is  to  be  given.  Scenery,  lighting,  cos- 
tumes, must  all  be  ready,  and  the  performance 
carried  through  with  as  few  interruptions  as 
the  director  can  afford  to  make.  The  director 
should  be  in  the  back  .of  the  "  house  ",  and 
stop  the  players  only  when  they  do  something 
absolutely  wrong.  It  is  very  unwise  to  change 
lines  or  "  business "  at  this  eleventh  hour. 
The  stage  manager  and  his  assistants  must 
be  in  their  assigned  places,  the  lights  manipu- 
lated, actors  "  called ",  the  curtain  rung  up 
and  down  on  schedule.  The  director  watches 
the  general  effects,  sees  that  the  stage  is  not 

73 


74        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

crowded,  that  the  lights  are  in  order,  and  above 
all,  watches  the  tempo  of  the  performance. 

The  actors  must  be  informed  that  on  the 
occasion  of  the  performance  the  audience  is 
likely  to  distract  them  by  applause,  laughter, 
etc.,  and  that  they,  the  actors,  must  pause  for 
a  moment  when  there  is  any  such  interruption. 
A  little  advice  as  to  resting,  not  worrying  about 
lines,  etc.,  will  not  be  out  of  place. 

Besides  the  acting  dress  rehearsal,  there 
should  be  a  scene  and  light  rehearsal.  This 
is  merely  for  the  assistants  behind  the  stage. 
The  different  scenes  (if  there  is  more  than 
one)  should  be  set  and  "  struck "  (taken 
down),  furniture  and  "  props  "  stationed,  lights 
worked,  exactly  as  they  are  to  be  on  the  follow- 
ing night.  Everything  should  go  according  to 
clockwork,  the  stage  manager  "  holding  the 
book  "  on  all  his  assistants. 

The  performance  should  begin  on  time. 
Every  one  knows  the  irksome  delay  usually 
incident  to  amateur  performances,  and  it  ought 
to  be  the  object  of  every  director  to  remedy  a 
defect  which  is  inherent  in  our  usual  slipshod 
method  of  reproducing  plays.  Promptness  is 
the  prime  requisite  of  efficiency,  and  the  produc- 
tion of  plays  is  successful  only  when  the  com- 


REHEARSING  75 

ponent  elements  are  organized  on  a  sort  of 
military  basis.  The  actors  must  be  in  the 
theater  on  time,  and  "  made-up  "  in  costume, 
at  least  half  an  hour  before  the  curtain  rises. 
It  is  well  for  each  actor  to  see  the  property 
man  arid  make  sure  that  all  the  "  props " 
necessary  to  his  part  are  in  readiness.  The 
property  man  himself  must  also  check  up  his 
list  for  the  last  time,  in  order  to  avoid  con- 
fusion during  the  performance. 

When  everything  is  in  order,  there  is  little 
more  to  be  done.  The  director  might  make  a 
few  general  remarks  to  the  cast,  endeavor  to 
inspire  them  with  confidence  and  impress  upon 
them  the  necessity  of  playing  together  har- 
moniously, and  so  on,  but  if  his  work  has  been 
well  done  during  rehearsals,  this  will  not  be 
necessary. 

The  prompter  must  follow  the  play  line  for 
line  and  be  ready  to  prompt  any  actor  who 
forgets  his  part.  It  is  well  for  the  stage  manager 
to  be  near  the  prompter,  in  order  that  every 
cue  for  lighting,  "  business  "  off-stage  —  like 
ringing  bells,  shooting,  etc.  —  may  be  acted 
upon  as  required. 


CHAPTER  VII 
THE  STAGE 

A  GREAT  deal  more  attention  is  being  directed 
—  in  this  country,  at  least  —  to  the  improve- 
ment of  the  physical  requirements  of  the  stage 
than  heretofore.  During  the  past  few  years, 
numerous  writers 1  have  made  a  systematic 
study  of  theaters  abroad  and  at  home,  and 
revealed  the  fact  that  on  the  whole  our 
theaters,  both  before  and  behind  the  curtain, 
are  antiquated,  ill-equipped,  and  fall  far  short 
of  the  infinite  possibilities  which  have  been 
made  realized  in  certain  cities  of  Germany  and 
Russia. 

Revolutionary  experiments  in  lighting,  as 
well  as  in  the  disposition  of  stage  settings,  have, 

1  Hiram  Kelly  Moderwell,  in  his  "The  Theatre  of  To-day" 
(Lane),  and  Sheldon  Cheney,  in  his  "The  Modern  Movement 
in  the  Theatre'*  (Kennerley),  have  rendered  signal  service  in 
this  field.  The  first  book  contains  a  thoroughly  systematic 
account  of  practically  all  the  new  theatrical  experiments. 
76 


Two  VIEWS  OF  THE  STAGE  AT  TUFTS  COLLEGE, 

SHOWING  PLENTY  OF  OPEN  SPACE  FOR  THE 

STORING  AND  SHIFTING  OF  SCENERY. 

(Courtesy  of  L.  R.  Lewis). 


€ 


THE  STAGE  77 

during  the  past  ten  or  twelve  years,  opened 
up  fields  formerly  undreamed  of. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  chapter  to  de- 
scribe at  great  length  these  innovations;  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  books  of  Moderwell 
and  Cheney  mentioned  in  the  footnote  above. 
A  few  elementary  suggestions,  however,  which 
may  be  used  by  skilled  and  intelligent  amateurs, 
will  prove  suggestive  to  the  average  director 
and  stage  manager. 

It  is  likely  that  by  far  the  greater  number  of 
amateur  plays  will  be  performed  on  a  stage 
which  is  already  built  and  equipped.  In  such 
cases,  all  the  stage  manager  can  do  is  to  use 
his  own  scenery  and  at  least  have  a  voice  in 
the  matter  of  lighting.  Still,  many  plays  are 
performed  on  improvised  stages,  in  private 
homes,  clubs,  or  schoolrooms,  or  out-of-doors. 
This  allows  the  stage  manager  a  little  more 
leeway,  and  often  he  may  modify  the  size  of 
the  stage  to  suit  himself,  and  introduce  some 
innovations  of  his  own. 

To  those  who  are  in  a  position  either  to 
build  or  temporarily  construct  their  own  stages, 
this  chapter  is  primarily  addressed. 

We  shall  now  proceed  to  a  consideration  of 
a  few  of  the  more  important  innovations  on 


78       HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

the  modern  stage.     The  first  of  these  is  un- 
doubtedly : 

The  Cyclorama.  This  is  "  a  white  or  tinted 
backing  for  the  stage,  built  in  the  form  of  a 
segment  of  a  vertical  cylinder.  It  may  be 
constructed  of  canvas  or  of  solid  plaster.  .  .  . 
Now,  if  made  of  canvas,  it  is  more  usually 
kept,  when  not  in  use,  on  a  vertical  roller,  at 
one  side  of  the  stage,  near  the  front,  and  carried 
around  behind  the  stage,  unrolling  from  its 
cylinder  the  while,  until  it  connects  with  a 
similar  cylinder  at  the  opposite  side  of  the 
stage.  It  hangs  from  a  circular  iron  rail,  and 
almost  completely  encloses  the  stage,  rising 
to  the  required  distance.  ...  It  can  be 
rolled  up  on  its  original  cylinder  when  it  is 
not  needed,  leaving  the  stage  once  more  ap- 
proachable from  all  sides.  .  .  .  The  chief 
uses  of  the  cyclorama  are  evident.  It  presents 
a  continuous  dead  white  or  tinted  background, 
which,  when  played  upon  by  the  proper  lights, 
gives  a  striking  illusion  of  depth  and  luminous 
atmosphere.  .  .  .  But  perhaps  the  chief  value 
of  the  cyclorama,  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
stage  artist,  has  not  yet  been  mentioned.  For 
the  new  device  changes  altogether  the  problem 
of  lighting.  Ordinary  sunlight  is,  as  we  know, 


THE  STAGE  79 

not  a  direct  light,  but  an  infinitely  reflected 
light,  bandied  about  by  the  particles  of  air 
and  by  the  ordinary  physical  objects  on  which 
it  strikes.  The  mellowness  and  internal  lu- 
minosity of  ordinary  sunlight  is  wholly  due  to 
this  infinite  reflection.  It  was  the  lack  of 
this  that  made  the  old  stage  lighting,  with  its 
blazing  direct  artificial  glare,  so  unreal.  The 
cyclorama,  and  especially  the  dome  cyclo- 
rama,  permits  the  stage  to  be  lighted  largely 
or  wholly  by  crisscrossing  reflection.  The 
mellow  and  subtle  lighting  which  makes  it 
possible  was  altogether  unknown  under  the 
older  methods."1 

The  construction  of  a  cyclorama,  either  of 
cloth  or  of  plaster,  is  rather  difficult,  but  there 
are  certain  simple  substitutes  which  may  be  used 
to  secure  some  of  its  elementary  effects.  The 
following  system  has  been  used  by  some  ama- 
teurs with  signal  success. 

First  take  a  wooden  rod,  or  better,  iron 
pipes,  curved  to  the  desired  shape. 

Fasten  this  framework  either  to  the  ceiling 
of  the  "  loft  "  or,  if  that  is  too  high,  to  the 
wings.  On  the  rod  hang  curtains  of  burlap, 

1  Moderwell's  "The!  Theatre  of  To-day."  John  Lane  Com- 
pany. 


80        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 


Cyclorama 


Curtain 


or  some  similar  material,  or  else  two  or  three 
thicknesses  of  cheesecloth,  so  that  they  fall 
in  simple  folds.  The  color  will  depend  on  the 
sort  of  play  to  be  produced  and  the  kind  of 
lights  used.  As  a  rule,  dark  tan,  green,  or 
dark  red  are  the  best  colors,  and  can  be  used 
on  many  occasions  and  for  nearly  every  sort  of 
play.  Whether  the  "  cyclorama  "  thus  impro- 
vised be  permanent  or  temporary,  this  is  one  of 
the  best  possible  backgrounds.  In  out-of-door 
scenes,  it  gives  a  suggestion  of  distance. 

In  Constance  D'Arcy  Mackay's  book  on 
"  Costumes  and  Scenery  for  Amateurs  "  the 
author  describes  how  a  "  desert  and  oasis  " 


THE  STAGE  81 

scene  can  be  made  from  the  simplest  means: 

"  A  plain  sand-colored  floor  cloth.  A  back- 
drop or  cyclorama  of  sky-blue  against  which 
very  low  sand  mounds  appearing  as  if  at  great 
distance,  with  palm  trees,  also  made  small  by 
distance.  These  mounds  and  palm  trees  should 
be  painted  low  on  the  backdrop,  since  a  vast 
stretch  of  level  sand  is  what  is  to  be  suggested. 
It  would  even  be  possible  to  use  a  plain  blue 
sky  drop,  and  run  some  sand-colored  cambric 
into  mounds  across  the  back  of  the  stage,  so 
as  to  break  the  sky  line." 

It  i$  not  necessary,  though,  to  paint  the 
cyclorama:  darker  cloth,  made  to  represent 
mounds,  thrown  across  the  lower  part  of  the 
cyclorama,  would  be  equally  effective.  Further 
examples  of  what  can  be  done  with  the  cyclo- 
rama will  be  cited  in  the  chapter  on  "  Lighting." 

Another  of  the  recent  innovations  which  is  of 
particular  value  to  amateurs  is  the  system  by 
which  the  proscenium  opening  can  be  made 
large  or  small,  according  to  the  demands  of 
the  play.  Usually  the  proscenium  looks  like 
the  following  diagram. 

Suppose  one  scene  of  a  play  calls  for  a  large 
courtroom  filled  with  people.  Obviously,  all 
the  stage  space  is  required.  But  suppose  that 


82        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 


Proscenium  arch 


Ocapety 


Stage  opening 


the  next  scene  is  a  small  antechamber.  On 
the  average  stage  the  discrepancy  is  at  once 
observed,  and  the  effect  is  more  than  likely 
ridiculous.  Even  if  the  sets  used  are  "  box 
sets  "  (that  is,  with  three  walls  and  not  mere 
conventional  screens  or  curtains),  the  effect 
of  great  size  can  easily  be  obtained  in  the  first 
scene,  and  smallness  in  the  second,  by  means 
of  the  device  about  to  be  described.  This 
applies,  of  course,  to  plays  where  the  same 
set  must  be  used  for  both  scenes.  If,  however, 
a  different  set  is  used  for  the  antechamber 
scene,  the  new  device  is  imperative. 


THE  STAGE  83 

First,  construct  two  tall  screens  (on  a  wooden 
framework),  made  either  of  painted  canvas  or 
draped  cloth,  of  some  dark  and  subdued  tone, 
and  place  them  on  each  side  of  the  stage,  just 
behind  the  proscenium  arch,  as  in  the  dia- 
gram : 


Screen  Screen 


These  screens  can  be  easily  set  closer  to 
the  center  of  the  stage,  thereby  diminishing 
its  size  on  the  sides.  Then  the  "  grand  dra- 
pery" above,  which  hangs  down  from  behind 
the  top  of  the  proscenium  arch,  and  which 
should  be  of  the  same  color  and  material  as  the 
side  screens,  is  lowered.  This  process  makes, 
from  the  inside,  a  smaller  proscenium  arch. 
Many  of  the  German  and  some  other  stages 


84        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 


have  added  a  fourth  side  to  this  frame,  by 
"  boxing  "  the  footlights : 


Lowered  drapery 


Boxed  "foots" 


This  last,  besides  giving  the  effect  of  a  de- 
tached picture  to  the  set,  prevents  the  direct 
rays  of  the  footlights,  when  they  are  used,  from 
shining  up  into  the  gallery. 

To  return  to  the  smaller  scene  made  by  the 
inner  proscenium  arch,  it  will  readily  be  seen 
that  the  cyclorama  —  if  there  is  one  —  or  back 
wall  of  the  set,  or  else  the  curtain,  must  usually 
be  brought  forward  a  little.  The  advantage  of 
the  inner  proscenium  becomes  apparent  when 


THE  STAGE  85 

such  a  play  as  "  The  Merchant  of  Venice  "  is 
performed,  and  the  absurdity  of  using  a  stage 
of  the  same  size  for  the  Portia-Nerissa  scene 
in  the  first  act  and  the  casket  scene,  is  forcibly 
brought  to  our  attention. 

The  Revolving  Stage  and  The  Wagon  Stage. 
These  are  fully  described  in  the  books  which  have 
been  referred  to.  They  are  both  extremely  val- 
uable, but  as  yet  too  complicated  and  expensive 
to  be  seriously  considered  for  amateurs. 

The  introduction  of  simpler  scenery  and 
simpler  lighting  does  away  with  much  that 
was  difficult  to  manage  under  the  old  system, 
and  a  few  well-trained  amateurs  should  be 
able  to  set  and  attend  to  almost  any  produc- 
tion without  having  recourse  to  the  revolving 
stage  and  the  "  wagons." 

As  much  space  as  possible  should  be  kept 
clear  behind  the  curtain;  occasions  are  likely 
to  arise  when  the  entire  stage  may  be  used, 
and  manipulation  of  scenery  on  a  full  stage 
is  a  difficult  task. 

A  few  suggestions  as  to  lighting  and  its  rela- 
tion to  scenery  and  color  and  action  will  be 
set  forth  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  Vin 
LIGHTING 

IT  has  been  rightly  urged  that  recent  in- 
ventions and  discoveries  in  lighting  constitute 
the  greatest  contribution  to  the  modern  art  of 
the  theater.  This  manual  is  intended  primarily 
to  help  the  producer  and  the  actor,  but  the 
present  short  chapter  may  assist  the  former 
or  his  associates  in  their  effort  to  improve  the 
physical  conditions  of  the  stage. 

The  prevalent  system  of  using  footlights  and 
border  lights  is  on  the  whole  bad,  because  it  is 
false,  unnatural,  and  above  all  unnecessary. 
Says  Moderwell  (pages  107-108,  in  "The 
Theatre  of  To-day  ") : 

"  Before  we  can  begin  work  in  artistic  light- 
ing we  must  do  some  destroying.  One  element 
in  the  old  lighting  must  go,  and  go  completely. 
We  can  say  this  with  careless  ease  now  that 
the  Fortuny  system  has  given  us  a  better 


LIGHTING 


87 


way.  But  even  before  this  invention  was 
made  known,  the  case  against  the  footlights 
must  have  been  obvious  to  any  sensitive  man 
of  the  theatre ;  that  the  *  foots  *  continued  as 


From  "The  Architectural  Review." 
OPERATION  OF  THE  FOETUNY  INDIRECT  LIGHTING  SYSTEM. 

long  as  they  did  indicates  the  stagnation  of 
the  old  theatre  in  all  but  purely  literary  art. 
"  The  footlights,  with  their  corresponding 
border  lights  from  above,  give  a  flat  illumina- 
tion. They  make  figures  visible,  but  not 


88        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

living ;  they  destroy  that  most  precious  quality 
of  the  sculptor,  relief.  ...  It  is  the  shadows, 
the  nooks  and  crannies  of  light  and  shade,  that 
show  a  figure  to  be  solid  and  plastic." 

The  Fortuny  system  mentioned  is  a  device  by 
which  light  is  reflected  and  diffused :  "  An 
arc-lamp  and  several  pieces  of  cloth  of  various 
colours  —  these  comprise  the  Fortuny  appara- 
tus in  its  simplest  form."  While  only  an 
expert  electrician  and,  if  the  effects  are  to 
be  artistic,  an  artist,  can  erect  and  manipulate 
a  system  built  on  Fortuny's  principles,  still 
amateur  electricians  and  directors  should  do 
their  best,  by  means  of  experimentation,  to 
use  indirect  lighting. 

Just  how  this  can  be  done  must  rest  with 
individuals,  but  two  or  three  experiments  may 
be  briefly  described. 

Suppose  that  the  cyclorama,  or  the  hangings 
masking  the  back  of  the  stage,  are  made  of 
white  or  light-colored  cloth.  In  this  case, 
an  arc  lamp  or  ordinary  calcium  light  can 
be  placed  up  in  the  loft,  above  the  top  of 
the  cyclorama,  and  behind  it.  A  little  experi- 
menting will  reveal  many  striking  light  effects. 
If  one  light  or  lamp  is  not  sufficient,  others 
can  be  placed  in  various  positions  to  reenforce 


LIGHTING  89 

it.  As  conditions  vary  so  greatly,  it  is  im- 
possible to  supply  more  concise  directions. 

Where  box  sets  are  used  in  which  there  is  at 
least  one  window,  and  provided  the  scene  does 
not  take  place  at  night,  it  is  much  better  to 
have  all,  or  at  least  an  appreciable  portion  of 
the  light  come  in  through  one  window.  In 
the  second  act  of  Charles  Klein's  "  The  Music 
Master  "  played  by  David  Warfield  and  pro- 
duced by  David  Belasco,  the  stage  was  at  one 
time  brilliantly  lighted,  supposedly  by  sun- 
shine from  the  outside,  from  the  two  opposite 
sides  of  the  stage!  If,  however,  screens  and 
curtains  are  used  (see  chapter  on  "  Scenery  and 
Costumes  "),  then  it  is  best  to  introduce  some 
sort  of  central  reflected  light.  To  station 
lights  on  all  sides  of  the  stage  will  first  of  all 
make  the  stage  too  bright,  and  furthermore 
produce  unnatural  and  distorted  shadows : 
there  is  no  chance  for  effects  of  relief  or  any 
illusion  of  plasticity.  If  possible,  the  foot- 
lights should  be  entirely  eliminated;  if  not, 
then  most  sparingly  used.  Our  stages  are  for 
the  most  part  overlighted. 

The  production  of  Lady  Gregory's  "  The 
Rising  of  the  Moon  "  by  the  Irish  Players 
was  one  of  the  simplest  and  at  the  same  time 


90       HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 


most  effective  of  stage  pictures.  The  follow- 
ing diagram  will  show  in  a  rough  way  the 
general  disposition  of  the  settings : 


Parapet 


Curtain 


The  back  of  the  stage  (the  shaded  area)  was 
flooded  with  white  light  to  suggest  moonlight. 
There  were  no  "  foots  "  or  "  borders  " ;  any- 
thing besides  the  single  light  would  have 
ruined  the  effect  of  perfect  placidity. 


SCENES  FROM  EURIPIDES'  "ELECTRA".     PRODUCED 
AT  ILLINOIS  STATE  COLLEGE. 

(Courtesy  of  Rollin   H.  Tanner). 


CHAPTER  IX 
SCENERY  AND  COSTUMES 

VERY  little  need  be  said  regarding  the  usual 
conventional  sets,  whether  they  represent  in- 
teriors or  exteriors.  The  purpose  of  this 
chapter  is  (1)  to  suggest  simple  but  effective 
means  of  staging  without  using  the  conventional 
sets,  and  (2)  to  lay  down  a  few  principles  as  to 
costuming. 

By  means  of  the  simple  devices  about  to  be 
described,  the  amateur  is  enabled  to  do  with- 
out "  box  sets  "  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of 
the  old  stage.  The  tendency  nowadays  is 
away  from  naturalism  in  setting;  the  aim  is 
rather  to  supply  simple  but  beautiful  back- 
grounds with  as  little  obvious  effort  as  possible ; 
to  suggest  rather  than  to  represent.  When 
the  word  "  conventional "  is  used  it  is  in- 
tended to  convey  the  meaning  not  of  "  old  " 
and  "  hackneyed  ",  but  of  "  simple  ",  "  sug- 
91 


92        HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

gestive."  Beardsley's  drawings  are  conven- 
tional because  attitudes  and  lines  are  conven- 
tionalized. 

In  the  main,  there  are  three  sorts  of  setting 
which  may  be  used  for  practically  all  kinds  of 
plays.  They  have  been  successfully  tried  out 
on  numerous  occasions,  and  few  plays  have 
been  found  which  cannot  fit  at  least  one  of 
them. 

1.  The  first  and  simplest  of  them  all  con- 
sists of  draperies  and  tall  screens.  The  Greek 
classics  and  Shakespeare  are  particularly  effec- 
tive with  this  sort  of  background.  Where 
Greek  plays  are  given,  a  peristyle  of  wooden 
pillars  up-stage,  behind  which  may  be  hung 
white  or  tinted  curtains,  is  especially  desirable. 
Any  Greek,  and  most  Latin  plays,  can  be 
produced  with  this  setting.  Often  such  plays 
are  given  in  the  open.  If  the  performance 
takes  place  in  the  daylight,  there  is  no  difficulty 
as  to  artificial  lighting;  but  if  it  is  at  night, 
then  a  flood-light  must  cover  the  stage.  This 
is  placed  toward  the  back,  or  else  behind  the 
audience. 

Shakespeare  is  seen  at  his  best  with  the 
simple  background.  A  sort  of  cyclorama 
may  be  constructed  by  using  curtains  hung 


SCENERY  AND  COSTUMES  93 

at  the  back  of  the  stage,  upon  which  is 
thrown  light  from  one  place:  behind  the 
proscenium  arch,  from  above,  or  from  one  of 
the  sides.  Suppose  that  "  The  Comedy  of 
Errors  "  is  the  play  to  be  performed.  The 
first  scene  of  the  first  act  is  "  A  hall  in  the 
Duke's  palace.9'  This,  of  course,  should  be 
printed  on  the  program,  but  on  the  stage  all 
that  is  needed  is  a  suggestion  or  two,  like  a 
gilded  chair,  and  a  painted  white  bench  or 
two.  These  are  not  needed  in  the  action, 
but  they  serve  to  create  an  atmosphere.  The 
second  scene  is  "  A  public  place."  Absolutely 
no  "  props  "  or  furniture  are  needed ;  indeed, 
their  very  absence  indicates  the  "place." 
The  first  scene  of  the  second  act  is  the  same. 
The  curtains  around  the  stage  must  be  made 
in  sections,  in  order  to  allow  the  actors  to 
enter  and  exit  through  them.  The  lines  are 
always  sufficient  to  indicate  where  a  person 
is  coming  from  or  going  to.  In  the  first  scene 
of  the  third  act,  Dromio  of  Syracuse  says : 

DRO.  s.   (within).    Mome,   malt-horse,    capon, 

coxcomb,  idiot,  patch ! 
Either  get  thee  from  the  door,  or  sit  down  at 

the  hatch: 


94     HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

Dost  thou  conjure  for  wenches,  that  thou  call'st 

for  such  store, 
When  one  is  one  too  many  ?     Go,  get  thee  from 

the  door. 

A  house  is  evidently  intended  to  be  repre- 
sented, but  it  is  not  necessary  that  we  see  it: 
Dromio  of  Syracuse  can  speak  from  behind 
the  curtain.  The  convention  will  readily  be 
accepted.  Nor  is  it  necessary  to  differentiate 
the  various  "  public  places  ",  except  for  the 
sake  of  variety:  perhaps  a  bench  or  two  now 
and  then  will  accomplish  this  purpose.  And 
when,  in  the  first  scene  of  the  fifth  act,  the 
public  place  is  "  before  an  abbey  ",  still  there 
is  no  need  of  any  definite  set  pieces.  From 
time  to  time,  doubtless  some  special  article 
of  furniture  or  set  piece  of  some  kind  will  be 
mentioned  in  the  text,  not  elsewhere,  in  which 
case  it  can  easily  be  supplied. 

This  "  Shakespeare-without-scenery  "  is  not 
the  only  method  by  which  Shakespeare  can 
be  performed,  but  it  is  the  easiest  and,  if  done 
with  taste,  the  most  effective. 

Let  us  now  take  rather  a  more  difficult  play, 
"  Twelfth  Night."  The  first  scene  of  the  first 
act  is  "  An  apartment  in  the  Duke's  palace." 


SCENERY  AND  COSTUMES  95 

The  Duke  sits  on  a  sort  of  throne  or  sofa. 
In  Max  Reinhardt's  production  of  this  play 
at  the  Deutsches  Theater  in  Berlin,  the  set 
consisted  simply  of  a  semicircular  lounge 
extending  all  the  way  across  the  stage. 
It  was  covered  with  dark  blue  plush;  the 
hangings  were  of  the  same  color.  A  warm 
yellow  light  directed  from  above  flooded  the 
stage. 

Either  a  throne  or  sofa  for  the  Duke,  then, 
and  a  few  other  chairs  for  the  remaining 
characters,  who  sit  down  —  the  musicians 
stand  —  or  else,  following  Reinhardt,  a  semi- 
circular lounge.  This  is  all.  The  second  scene 
is  "  The  seacoast."  The  stage  is  bare  here. 
The  third  scene  is  "  A  room  in  Olivia's  house." 
Different  chairs  or  sofas  and  a  throne  for 
Olivia.  The  following  scene  is  the  same  as 
scene  one.  The  first  scene  of  the  second 
act  is  the  seacoast  once  more.  The  next  is 
"A  street."  No  furniture.  The  third  scene 
is  "  A  room  in  Olivia's  house  " ;  evidently  not 
the  same  as  that  in  which  Olivia  first  ap- 
peared. The  room  is  probably  in  or  near 
the  wine  cellar.  A  table,  therefore,  and  three 
or  four  chairs,  will  not  be  amiss.  Tne  next 
is  the  same  as  in  act  one,  scene  one.  The 


96     HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 


fifth  scene  of  the  second  act  is  "  Olivia's  gar- 
den." Here  the  stage  business  requires  a  few 
definitely  placed  shrubs  and  a  bench  or  two. 
The  best  arrangement  of  this  scene  is  suggested 
in  the  diagram : 


Sack-  drop  or  cy  dor  am  3 

—  ——  . 

O                         o 

_ 

O  m                      o 

I 

Of                    fo 
O*                    ">o 

i 

0                             0 

o 

Curtain 

o 

Malvolio  comes  down-stage  Center,  while 
the  others  are  hiding  behind  one  of  the  benches, 
either  Left  or  Right.  These  benches,  as  in- 
dicated in  the  diagram,  are  partially  concealed 
by  shrubs.  Bay  trees,  planted  in  green-painted 
tubs,  make  especially  good  decorations.  They 
can  be  used  on  many  occasions,  as  will  be 
shown  later.  Nor,  in  the  case  of  the  scene 
from  "  Twelfth  Night  ",  are  they  so  high  as  to 
conceal  the  actors  who  are  supposed  to  be 
hidden  behind  them.  The  following  scene  is 


SCENERY  AND  COSTUMES  97 

the  same.  The  second  scene  of  the  third 
act  is  the  cellar  room  again.  Following  this 
is  "  A  street  " ;  then  "  Olivia's  garden  "  once 
more.  The  next  new  scene  is  the  first  of  the 
fourth  act :  "  A  street  before  Olivia's  garden." 
Perhaps  a  little  variety  can  be  introduced  in 
the  shape  of  a  shrub  or  two.  The  remaining 
scenes  are  repetitions  of  those  already  con- 
sidered. 

The  suggestions  above  given  are  extremely 
summary,  but,  if  acted  upon,  will  be  seen  to 
prove  sufficient. 

2.  Out-of-door  scenes  of  a  more  elaborate 
character,  in  plays  like  Rostand's  "  The  Ro- 
mancers ",  often  require  more  complicated 
sets;  they  may  still  be  produced  with  the 
most  elementary  sort  of  background,  how- 
ever. The  stage  directions  of  this  play  are 
as  follows: 

SCENE:  The  stage  is  divided  by  an  old  wall, 
covered  with  vines  and  flowers.  At  the  right,  a 
corner  of  BERGAMIN'S  park  is  seen;  at  the  left, 
a  corner  of  PASQUINOT'S.  On  each  side  of  the 
wall,  and  against  it,  is  a  rustic  bench. 

This  is  set  in  the  following  manner : 


98    HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 


Cydocama 


O 


Curtain-line 


The  background  hangings  may  be  of  tan 
burlap  or  else  dark  green.  Gaps,  covered  by 
the  folds,  must  be  made  up-  and  down-stage 
to  allow  the  actors  to  enter  and  leave  the 
stage.  The  wall  must  be  constructed  of  solid 
wood,  in  order  to  support  the  actors,  and 
painted  to  suggest  bricks.  There  is  a  rustic 
bench  against  each  side  of  the  wall.  Though 
they  are  not  mentioned  in  these  preliminary 
directions,  there  are  other  rustic  benches, 
down-stage  to  the  extreme  right  and  left. 
These  are  used  later  in  the  act. 

In  the  second  act,  "  the  wall  has  disappeared. 
The  benches  which  were  formerly  against  it, 
are  removed  to  the  extreme  right  and  left.  [The 
extra  benches  mentioned  in  the  first  act  have 


SCENERY  AND  COSTUMES 


99 


of  course  been  removed.]  There  are  a  few 
extra  pots  of  flowers  and  two  or  three  plaster 
statues.  To  the  right  is  a  small  garden  table, 
with  chairs  about  it."  This  scene  is  set  as 
follows : 


The  third  act  stage  directions  are :  "The  scene 
is  the  same  except  that  the  wall  is  being  rebuilt. 
Bricks  and  sacks  of  plaster  lie  about."  A  few  bricks 
may  serve  to  indicate  the  partly  finished  wall. 

Since  the  scene  of  this  play  is  laid  at  first 
in  parks,  there  ought  to  be  some  suggestion 
as  to  this  fact.  Here  bay-  or  box-trees  can 
be  used.  Perhaps  three  or  four  should  be 
arranged  more  or  less  symmetrically  at  the 
back  of  the  stage,  and  as  many  to  the  right 
and  left,  down-stage.  One  or  two  can  ,be 
added,  close  to  the  wall.  This  is  all  that  is 
absolutely  necessary. 


100      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

The  foregoing  remarks  have  been  applied 
largely  to  romantic  plays,  but  what  is  to  be 
done  in  modern  realistic  pieces?  There  are 
two  courses  open,  besides  the  conventional 
one  (using  box  sets) : 

The  first  method  is  to  use  the  regular  hang- 
ings as  before  and  set  a  few  needful  articles  of 
furniture  about  the  stage.  This  is  not  realistic, 
but  there  are  many  realistic  plays  which  can 
be  produced  without  correspondingly  realistic 
settings.  Of  course,  where  windows  are  re- 
ferred to  and  used,  there  must  be  real  windows, 
and  where  a  character  is  directed  to  hang  a 
picture  on  a  wall,  there  must  be  a  wall.  How- 
ever, there  are  many  realistic  plays  where 
box  sets  are  not  required.  Hermann  Suder- 
mann's  "  The  Far-away  Princess  "  is  a  case 
in  question.  The  author  has  definitely  sug- 
gested a  certain  setting  for  the  play,  but  as 
his  suggestions  are  not  absolutely  essential 
they  may  be  modified.  The  directions  are : 

"  The  veranda  of  an  inn.  The  right  side  of  the 
stage  and  half  of  the  background  represent  a 
framework  of  glass  enclosing  the  veranda.  The 
left  side  and  the  other  half  of  the  background 
represent  the  stone  walls  of  the  house.  To  the 


SCENERY  AND  COSTUMES 


101 


lefty  in  the  foreground,  a  door;  another  door  in 
the  background,  at  the  left.  On  the  left,  back, 
a  buffet  and  serving  table.  Neat  little  tables 
and  small  iron  chairs  for  visitors  are  placed 
about  the  veranda.  On  the  right,  in  the  centre, 
a  large  telescope,  standing  on  a  tripod,  is  directed 
through  an  open  window.  ROSA,  dressed  in  the 
costume  of  the  country,  is  arranging  flowers  on 
the  small  tables.  FRAU  LINDEMANN,  a  hand- 
some, stoutish  woman  in  the  thirties,  hurries  in 
excitedly  from  the  left." 

If  the  dramatist's  stage  directions  are  im- 
plicitly followed,  a  realistic  set  will  be  required. 
The  scene  as  set  according  to  the  diagram,  has, 
however,  often  been  used :  , 


Gap  for  entrance 


Shrubs 


Curtain 


Once  more,  the  little  shrubs  may  be  used  in 
order  to  give  an  atmosphere  of  outdoors. 


102      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

Or,  to  take  an  example  of  a  "  modern- 
interior  "  play  in  which  the  same  conven- 
tionalized scenery  may  be  used  to  advantage 
—  Alfred  Capus'  "  Brignol  and  his  Daughter  " 
(published  by  French)  is  set  as  follows : 

SCENE  :  An  office.,  fitted  up  with  various  arti- 
cles of  parlor  furniture  —  rather  pretentious  in  ap- 
pearance. To  the  right,  a  table  with  letter-files,  and 
a  safe;  beside  the  safe,  a  bookshelf.  At  the  back 
is  the  main  entrance;  there  are  other  doors,  right 
and  left,  one  opening  upon  a  bed-room,- the  other 
upon  the  parlor. 

Here  the  setting  is  so  usual,  so  conventional, 
that  no  actual  room  is  required:  merely  the 
table,  chairs,  safe,  etc.,  as  called  for.  Of 
course,  it  is  not  imperative  that  such  plays 
should  be  set  in  this  manner:  the  arrange- 
ment with  screens  about  to  be  described  is 
usually  the  best  way.  The  point  here  to  be 
impressed  is  that  realistic  sets  are  not  always 
required  for  realistic  plays. 

3.  By  the  introduction  of  screens  —  not  to 
be  confused  with  the  large  screens  mentioned 
by  Gordon  Craig,  however  —  practically  any 
realistic  play  can  be  produced.  The  diagram 


SCENERY  AND  COSTUMES 


103 


below  will  afford  some  idea  of  the  very  simple 
principle : 


Three  screens,  about  seven  feet  high,  made 
in  three  sections,  and  covered  with  burlap  or 
some  similar  material,  are  all  that  will  usually 
be  required  on  a  moderately  small  stage. 
These  can  be  set  in  various  ways.  If  an 
ordinary  room  is  called  for,  they  may  be  set 
as  in  the  above  diagram. 

"  Brignol  and  his  Daughter  "  may  be  staged 
by  using  three  screens  (as  in  the  diagram 
above) :  the  opening  at  the  back  is  the 
center  door;  the  doors  on  the  right  and  left 
are  the  openings  left  between  the  lower  ends 
of  the  side  screens  and  the  inside  of  the  pro- 
scenium arch.  The  furniture  is  set  in  this 
scene  as  it  is  required  in  the  stage  directions. 
If  the  proscenium  opening  is  too  large,  then 


104      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

the  grand  drapery  can  be  lowered  to  within 
two  or  three  feet  of  the  top  of  the  screens,  and 
the  side  screens,  behind  the  sides  of  the  pro- 
scenium arch,  brought  closer  together.  Behind 
the  screens  representing  the  room,  burlap  or 
a  suitable  substitute  may  be  hung.  To  take 
concrete  examples  once  more,  the  setting  of 
the  first  act  of  "A  Scrap  of  Paper"  (the 
adaptation  by  J.  Palgrave  Simpson)  is  thus 
described  in  the  text : 

Drawing-room  in  a  French  country  house. 
Windows  to  the  floor,  R.C.  [Right  Center]  and 
L.C.  [Left  Center],  at  back,  looking  out  on 
gardens  and  park.  The  window  L.C.  is  at  first 
closed  in  with  barred  Venetian  shutters.  The 
window  R.C.  opens  on  the  garden.  Fireplace, 
C.  [Center]  between  the  windows,  surmounted 
by  a  mirror.  On  each  side  of  the  mirror  is  a 
bracket,  within  reach  of  the  hand;  the  one  R. 
supporting  a  statuette  of  FLORA,  the  other,  L., 
empty.  Doors,  R.  2  E  [See  diagram]  and  L. 
2  E.  Sofas  R.  and  L.  up-stage.  At  C.  of 
stage  is  a  round  table,  with  a  lamp,  and  an  em- 
broidery frame,  a  book  and  other  objects  scattered 
upon  it  in  great  disorder.  Chairs  R.  and  L. 
of  table.  Arm  chairs  R.C.  and  L.C.,  down- 


SCENERY  AND  COSTUMES  105 

stage.     The  furniture   is   to   be   rich    but    old- 
fashioned,  and  a  little  worn.     Carpet  down. 

Five  screens  are  here  required:  one  at  the 
back,  behind  the  fireplace;  and  two  on  each 
side  of  the  stage.  Only  two  of  the  three  fold- 
ing sections  of  each  are  used. 

fladodcop  or  curtain   


Curtain 


The  fireplace  must  be  "  practical  "  —  that 
is,  it  must  have  a  wooden  framework.  In 
case  a  mirror  is  desired,  it  can  be  lower  than  a 
mirror  usually  is,  and  made  of  mosquito  netting, 
to  avoid  reflections.  A  very  few  pictures  may 
be  hung  on  the  screens.  The  hangings  at  the 
back  of  the  stage  —  masking  the  bare  walls  — 
are  of  the  same  sort  as  have  been  described 
before,  but  the  color  of  the  screens  must  har- 
monize with  them. 

With  such  a  background,  and  by  means  of 


106     HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

screens,  shrubs,  and  a  few  necessary  set  pieces, 
like  the  wall  in  the  Rostand  play,  the  author 
has  seen  a  dozen  widely  different  plays  pro- 
duced by  amateurs,  in  not  one  of  which  was 
the  slightest  noticeable  discrepancy  or  anything 
that  would  shock  even  the  theatergoer  who  is 
accustomed  to  the  elaborate  and  often  un- 
necessary settings  of  David  Belasco. 

As  may  be  easily  imagined,  the  possibilities 
of  variation  upon  these  simple  settings  are 
infinite.  Experimentation,  as  always,  will  re- 
veal new  fields. 

Before  closing  the  chapter,  a  word  may  be 
said  of  the  flat  background  near  the  curtain 
line.  About  four  or  five  feet  behind  the  curtain 
line  —  i.e.  the  place  where  the  curtain  falls  to 
the  stage  —  hang  a  drop,  either  of  burlap,  or 
else  a  white  drop  like  that  used  in  stereopticon 
lectures.  This,  either  played  upon  by  lights 
in  "  the  house  ",  or  from  behind  the  stage, 
forms  a  striking  background  for  scenes  of 
pantomime,  a  street  —  as  in  "  Twelfth  Night  " 
—  a  wall,  a  forest,  almost  anything.  Such  a 
screen  was  most  effectively  used  in  one  scene 
of  Reinhardt's  production  of  "  Sumurtin."  A 
still  more  striking  effect  was  achieved  in  a  per- 


Two  VIEWS  OF  THE  STAGE  AT  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 
NORTH  DAKOTA. 

(Courtesy  of  Frederick  H.  Koch). 


SCENERY  AND  COSTUMES  107 

formance  of  "  Peer  Gynt "  at  the  Lessing 
Theater  in  Berlin.  The  scene  was  the  one  in 
which  Peer  Gynt  is  before  the  pyramid  in 
Egypt.  About  five  feet  behind  the  curtain  line 
a  white  screen  was  dropped.  Diagonally  across 
this  screen  was  thrown  a  dark  purple  light, 
while  over  the  remaining  space  a  saffron  yellow 
played.  That  was  all,  but  the  suggestion  of 
the  vast  shadow  of  the  pyramid  and  the  yellow 
sunlight  and  the  yellow  sands  of  Egypt  was 
far  more  impressive  than  any  representation 
of  the  pyramid  and  desert  could  be. 

In  case  the  effect  of  a  distant  city  is  desired, 
then  another  (darker  and  thicker)  cloth,  cut  to 
represent  the  outlines  of  buildings  and  the 
like,  can  be  sewed  against  the  drop,  thus  produc- 
ing the  effect  of  a  silhouette. 

In  fine,  the  whole  problem  of  staging  resolves 
itself  into  this :  achieve  your  effects  in  as 
simple  a  way  as  possible;  suggest,  do  not  try 
to  represent;  scenery,  which  ought  indeed  to 
be  a  delight  to  the  eye,  is  after  all  only  back- 
ground. Experiment,  but  never  hesitate  to 
ask  the  advice  of  those  who  know  the  basic 
principles  of  color,  line,  and  form,  as  well  as 
those  who  have  technical  knowledge  of  every 
branch  of  the  art  and  craft  of  the  theater. 


108      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

Costumes.  In  his  introductory  remarks  to 
"  The  Romancers ",  Rostand  says  that  the 
action  may  take  place  anywhere,  "  provided 
the  costumes  are  pretty."  This  is  the  basis 
of  the  few  brief  remarks  to  be  made  here  on 
the  subject  of  costumes.  It  must  not  be  con- 
cluded, however,  that  any  costumes  may  be 
used  on  any  occasion.  A  modern  play  must 
have  modern  costumes  —  except  in  such  plays 
as  "The  Blue  Bird"  and  "  Chantecler "  — 
and  a  "  period  play  "  must  at  least  approxi- 
mate in  spirit  the  age  in  which  the  action 
transpires.  But  it  makes  little  difference 
whether  Hamlet  wears  a  tenth  or  eleventh 
century  Danish  costume,  or  one  of  the  age  of 
Elizabeth.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  in 
Shakespeare's  days  there  was  little  or  no 
regard  for  historical  accuracy  in  costumes, 
and  that  even  in  the  historical  plays  the  actors 
wore  contemporary  clothes.  The  point  to  be 
impressed  is  not  that  we  should  play  "  Julius 
Csesar  "  in  dress  clothes,  but  that  such  dis- 
crepancies as  were  allowed  in  Elizabethan  days 
could  not  have  made  very  much  difference, 
and  that  nowadays  it  is  not  worth  while  to 
spend  too  much  time  over  details.  In  Greek 
plays  it  is  well  to  use  Greek  costumes,  because 


SCENERY  AND  COSTUMES  109 

we  have  long  been  accustomed  to  associate 
some  sort  of  archeological  detail  with  plays 
of  a  certain  age ;  and  besides,  Greek  costumes 
are  beautiful.  But,  and  this  is  of  great  im- 
portance, do  not  strive  to  be  historically  exact : 
so  long  as  costumes  are  beautiful  and  har- 
monize with  the  setting,  and  so  long  as  they 
are  not  absurd  or  too  much  out  of  harmony 
with  the  play,  they  are  good.  There  are 
numerous  exceptions.  Where  a  play  definitely 
calls  for  a  distinct  atmospheric  setting  —  like 
Bennett  and  Knoblauch's  "  Milestones  "  — 
then  the  utmost  effort  must  be  made  to  obtain 
correct  costumes  and  setting.  But  the  reason 
why  the  first  act  of  this  play  requires  historical 
accuracy  is  that  the  audience  knows  very  well 
what  mid-Victorian  clothes  are  like.  If  the 
play  were  given  in  the  year  2500  A.D.,  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  Elizabethan  or  Queen  Anne 
costumes  might  do  just  as  well. 

However,  historical  accuracy,  when  it  can 
be  obtained  as  easily  as  not,  is  never  superfluous. 


CHAPTER  X 
SELECTIVE  LISTS  OF  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

THE  following  lists,  which  do  not  pretend  to 
completeness,  will  at  least  be  found  helpful  in 
assisting  amateur  organizations  to  choose 
"  worth-while  "  plays.  The  general  headings 
"  Classic  ",  etc.,  are  clear,  but  the  following 
explanations  must  be  made  regarding  the  other 
markings : 

An  asterisk  (*)  indicates  that  the  play  is  in 
one  act.  Those  not  so  marked  are  in  more 
than  one  act,  and  are  in  most  cases  "  full 
length." 

The  letter  "  s "  denotes  serious  or  tragic 
plays,  intended  in  nearly  every  case  for  ad- 
vanced amateurs. 

The  letter  "  R  "  denotes  plays  of  a  romantic 
and  poetic  nature. 

The   letter  "  c "  denotes  comedies,  farces, 
and  plays  in  lighter  vein, 
no 


SELECTIVE  LISTS  OF  AMATEUR  PLAYS    111 

The  letter  "  F  "  in  parenthesis  after  the  title 
indicates  that  a  fee  is  charged  for  production 
by  amateurs.  The  publisher  or  agent  (see  foot- 
notes), must  be  consulted  for  particulars. 

The  letter  "  D  "  denotes  modern  dialect 
plays,  like  those  of  Lady  Gregory.  Most  of 
these  plays  are  included  under  the  general 
heading  of  "  Classic "  because  the  costumes 
and  setting,  though  they  may  be  modern, 
are  not  the  familiar  modern  costumes  and 
settings. 

All  plays  not  included  in  the  first  division 
"  Classics,  including  modern  costume  and  his- 
torical plays,"  are  to  be  found  in  the  second 
division :  "  Modern  plays." 

It  is  nearly  always  unwise  for  an  amateur 
organization  to  take  a  play  on  faith;  it  is 
therefore  advisable  for  it  to  collect  a  library 
of  amateur  plays,  from  which  successive  genera- 
tions of  members  can  at  least  form  some  judg- 
ment of  the  field  from  which  they  are  to  select 
their  plays. 

This  list  makes  no  pretence  to  complete- 
ness. It  has  been  the  writer's  purpose  merely 
to  mention  a  number  of  classic  and  standard 
plays  which  amateurs  can  produce  without 
too  great  difficulty. 


HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

CLASSICS,    INCLUDING    MODERN    COSTUME    AND    HIS- 
TORICAL PLAYS 

Greek 

RS    Euripides,  Alcestis  (Samuel  French  ;  Walter 

H.  Baker) 
RS    Sophocles,  Antigone  (Samuel  French  ;  E.  P. 

Dutton,  in  Everyman's  Library) 
RC    Aristophanes,     The     Clouds     (Macmillan  ; 

"  The  Drama  ",  Victorian  edition) 
c  Lysistrata   (Samuel  French.     Another 

version,    by    Laurence    Housman,    pub- 
lished by  The  Woman's  Press,  London) 
Latin 

c    Plautus,  The  Twins  (Samuel  French) 
c    Terence,  Phormio  (Samuel  French) 
Spanish 

RC    Lope   de   Vega,    The  Dog  in   the  Manger 

("  The  Drama  ",  Victorian  edition) 
RC    Calderon,    Keep    Your  Own  Secret   (Mac- 
millan) 
RC    Benavente,  The  Bonds  of  Interest  (in  "  The 

Drama  ",  No.  20) 
Italian 

RC    Goldoni,  The  Fan  (Yale  Dramatic  Associa- 
tion) 

RC  The  Beneficent  Bear  (Samuel  French) 

RC  A  Curious  Mishap  (McClurg) 

RCD  The     Squabbles    of     Chioggia     ("  The 

Drama  ",  August,  1914) 
R*  Giacosa,  The  Wager  (Samuel  French) 


SELECTIVE  LISTS  OF  AMATEUR  PLAYS    113 

French 

c  Brueys  (adaptor  of  15th  century  anony- 
mous), Master  Patelin,  Solicitor  (Samuel 
French) 

c  Moliere,  The  Merchant  Gentleman  [Le 
Bourgeois  Gentilhomme]  (Samuel  French  ; 
Little,  Brown  ;  Bohn  Library,  etc.) 

c*  The  Affected    Young  Ladies  [Les  Pre- 

cieuses  ridicules] 

c  The  Sicilian 

c*          Doctor  Love  [L' Amour  Medecin] 

c*  The  Doctor  in   Spite  of   Himself  [Le 

Medecin  malgre  lui] 

c  The    Imaginary    Invalid    [Le    Malade 

imaginaire]  (Samuel  French  ;  Little, 
Brown  ;  Bohn  Library  ;  Putnam,  etc., 
publish  the  above  five  titles) 

c*  Dancourt,  Woman's  Craze  for  Titles  (in 
"  The  Drama  "  ;  Historical  Publishing 
Company,  1903,  vol.  viii.) 

c*  Le    Sage,     Crispin,     His    Master's    Rival 

(Samuel  French) 

CR*  Marivaux,  The  Legacy  (Samuel  French) 
CB    De  Musset,  Fantasio  (Dramatic  Publishing 

Company) 
CR*  The  Green  Coat  (Samuel  French) 

c  Augier,  M.  Poirier9s  Son-in-law  [Le  Gendre 
de  M.  Poirier]  (in  "  Four  Plays  by  Emile 
Augier  ",  published  by  Alfred  A.  Knopf, 


114      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

and  in  "  Chief  European  Dramatists  ", 
published  by  Houghton  Mifflin) 
CR*  Banville,    Gringoire    (Dramatic   Publishing 

Company  ;   Samuel  French) 
CR*  Charming  Leandre  (Samuel  French) 

c    Sardou,  A  Scrap  of  Paper  [Les  Pattes  de 

mouche]  (Samuel  French) 
CR  The  Black  Pearl  (Samuel  French) 

CR*  Feuillet,  The  Fairy  (Samuel  French) 
CR*  Rivoire,     The    Little    Shepherdess    (Samuel 

French) 
CR    Rostand,  The  Romancers  (Samuel  French  ; 

Walter  H.  Baker  ;   Heinemann) 
c*  France,    The  Man   Who  Married  a  Dumb 

Wife  (Lane)  (F) 

c*  Picard,  The  Rebound  (Samuel  French) 
CR    Zamacoi's,  The  Jesters  (Brentano)  (F) 
SR*  Bouchor,  A  Christmas  Tale  (Samuel  French) 
CR*  Coppee,     The     Violin-Maker    of    Cremona 

(Samuel  French) 

SR*  Pater  Noster  (Samuel  French) 

SR*  Theuriet,  Jean-Marie  (Samuel  French) 
Danish 

c    Holberg,    The    Loquacious    Barber    ("The 

Drama  ",  Victorian  edition) 
c  Captain     Bombastes     Thunderton     (in 

"  Three  Comedies  by  Ludvig  Holberg  ", 
published  by  Longmans)  (Requires 
cutting) 


SELECTIVE  LISTS  OF  AMATEUR  PLAYS    115 

CR    Hertz,     King    Renews    Daughter     (Samuel 

French) 
German 

CR    Lessing,  Minna    Von   Barnhelm   (in  Bohn 

Library,  Macmillan) 
c  The  Scholar  (in  Bohn  Library) 

c    Schiller,  Nephew  or  Uncle  (Walter  H.  Baker) 
English 

s    Anonymous,         Everyman        (Everyman's 

Library  ;    Dutton) 

R    Lyly,  Alexander  and   Campaspe  (Scribner, 
and  in  Everyman's  Library)    (Requires 
cutting) 
R    Greene,    Friar    Bacon   and   Friar    Bungay 

(Dutton)  (Requires  cutting) 
CR    Beaumont  and  Fletcher,  The  Knight  of  the 
Burning    Pestle   (Scribner  ;    Everyman's 
Library  ;   etc.)  (Requires  cutting) 
CR    Dekker,    Old    Fortunatus    (Scribner)    (Re- 
quires cutting) 
CR  The    Shoemaker's    Holiday    (Scribner  ; 

Dutton)  (Requires  cutting) 
CR    Heywood      The    Fair    Maid    of   the    West 

(Scribner)  (Requires  cutting) 
SR    Jonson,    The  Sad  Shepherd  (Dutton)   (Re- 
quires cutting) 

CR  The    Case    is    Altered    (in    any   com- 

plete   set    of    Ben    Jonson)     (Requires 
cutting) 


116      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

Shakespeare  (no  plays  need  be  mentioned. 
The  "  Ben  Greet  Shakespeare  for  Ama- 
teurs "  contains  good  directions  for  stag- 
ing and  acting) 
c    Udall,  Ralph  Roister  Doister  (Macmillan  ; 

Dent)  (Requires  cutting) 
CB    Goldsmith,  The  Good-natured  Man  (in  any 

edition  of  Goldsmith's  plays) 
CR  She  Stoops  to  Conquer  (in  any  edition  of 

Goldsmith's  plays) 
CB    Sheridan,    The   Rivals    (in   any   edition   of 

Sheridan's  plays) 
c  The  School  for  Scandal  (in  any  edition 

of  Sheridan's  plays) 
C  The  Critic  (in  any  edition  of  Sheridan's 

plays) 
CB    Pinero,  Trelawney  of  the  '  Wells  '  (Dramatic 

Publishing  Company)  (F) l 
CB    Housman,   A    Chinese   Lantern   (Dramatic 

Publishing  Company)  (F) 
CR*  Bird  in  Hand  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

SRD*  A  Likely  Story  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

CR*  As  Good  as  Gold  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

SRD*  The  Snow  Man  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

SR*  Nazareth  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

SR*  The    Lord    of    the    Harvest    (Samuel 

French)  (F) 

1  Apply  to  Sanger  &  Jordan,  1432  Broadway,  New  York,  for 
acting  rights. 


SELECTIVE  LISTS  OF  AMATEUR  PLAYS    117 

SB*  The  Return  of  Alcestis  (Samuel  French) 

(F) 
CB  (and  Barker),  Prunella  (Little,  Brown) 

(F) 

CB    Shaw,  The  Devil's  Disciple  (Brentano)  (F)  * 
CB    Parker,  Pomander  Walk  (Samuel  French)  (F) 
CB*  Barrie,  Pantaloon  (Scribner)  (F)  1 
CB    Bennett  and  Knoblauch,  Milestones  (Doran) 

(F) 

CB    Noyes,  Sherwood  (Stokes)  (F) 
CB    Tennyson,   The  Princess  (in  any  complete 

edition  of  Tennyson) 
CB  The  Foresters  (in  any  complete  edition 

of  Tennyson) 
SB*  The  Falcon  (in  any  complete  edition  of 

Tennyson) 
B*  Lord  Dunsany,   The  Gods  of  the  Mountain 

(Little,  Brown)  (F) 

CB*  The  Lost  Silk  Hat  (Little,  Brown)  (F) 

CBD*  The  Glittering  Gate  (Little,  Brown)  (F) 

B  King    Argimenes    and    the    Unknown 

Warrior  (Little,  Brown)  (F) 
BS*  Yeats,   The  Land  of  Heart's  Desire  (Mac- 

millan  ;    Samuel  French) 
CD*  The  Pot  of  Broth  (Macmillan)  (F) 2 

BS*          Deirdre  (Macmillan)  (F)  2 
BS*  The  King's  Threshold  (Macmillan)  (F) 2 

1  Apply  to  American  Play  Company,  33  West  42nd  St.,  New  York. 

2  Apply  to  Samuel  French,  28  West  38th  St.,  New  York. 


118      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

CRD*  Lady   Gregory,    The   Rising  of  the  Moon 

(Putnam)  (F)  l 

CD*  The  Workhouse  Ward  (Putnam)  (F)  l 

SRD*  The  Travelling  Man  (Putnam)  (F)  1 

CD*  Spreading  the  News  (Putnam)  (F)  1 

CD*  The  Jackdaw  (Putnam)  (F)  l 

CD*  Hyacinth  Halvey  (Putnam)  (F)  1 

so*  Hyde,  The  Lost  Saint  (Scribner) 
so*  The  Twisting  of  the  Rope  (Poet  Lore) 

CD*  Mayne,  The  Turn  of  the  Road  (Luce)  (F) 
CD  The  Drone  (Luce)  (F) 

so*  Synge,  The  Shadow  of  the  Glen  (Luce)  (F)  * 
CD  Boyle,  The  Building  Fund  (Gill,  Dublin)  (F) 
RC*  Downs,  The  Maker  of  Dreams  (Samuel 

French)  (F)  1 
Sanskrit 

SR    Kalidasa,  Sakountala  (Walter  Scott,  Lon- 
don ;   and  Everyman's  Library) 
Bengali 

RS    Tagore,  The  Post-Office  (Macmillan)  (F) l 

MODERN  PLAYS  (NINETEENTH  AND  TWENTIETH  CEN- 
TURIES, IN  WHICH  THE  COSTUMES  AND  SETTINGS 
ARE  MODERN) 

Italian 

s     Giacosa,  As  the  Leaves  (in  "  The  Drama  ", 
No.  1,  and  by  Little,  Brown) 

1  Apply  to  Samuel  French,  28  West  38th  St.,  New  York. 


SELECTIVE  LISTS  OF  AMATEUR  PLAYS    119 

s  The  Stronger  (in  "  The  Drama  ",  May, 

1913,  and  by  Little,  Brown) 
French 

c*  Augier,  The  Post-Script  (Samuel  French,  and 

in    "  Four    Plays    by    Emile    Augier ", 

Alfred  A.  Knopf) 
sc  The  House  of  Fourchambault  (Samuel 

French,  and  in  "  Four  Plays  by  Emile 

Augier  ",  Alfred  A.  Knopf) 
s    Dumas    fils,    The    Money    Question    (Poet 

Lore,  1915) 

CR*  Meilhac  and  Halevy,  Indian  Summer  (Sam- 
uel French) 

CR*  Panurge's  Sheep  (Samuel  French) 

CR*  Feuillet,  The  Village  (Samuel  French) 
c*  Labiche,  The  Two  Cowards  (Samuel  French) 
c*          Grammar  (Samuel  French) 
c    Pailleron,  The  Art  of  Being  Bored  (Samuel 

French) 
c*  Bernard,  French  Without  a  Master  (Samuel 

French) 

c*          I'm  Going  !  (Samuel  French) 
c*  Donnay,    They  I    (In    "Lovers,   The  Free 

Woman,  and  They  !  "  (Little,  Brown) 
s    France,  Crainquebille  (Samuel  French) 
c*  Maurey,  Rosalie  (Samuel  French) 
c*  Hervieu,  Modesty  (Samuel  French) 
s    Capus,    The   Adventurer   ("  The   Drama ", 

November,  1914) 


120      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

c  Brignol    and    his    Daughter    (Samuel 

French) 
c*  Caillavet,     Choosing    a     Career     (Samuel 

French) 
German 

so    Freytag,  The  Journalists  ("  The  Drama  ", 

February,  1913) 

BC*  Sudermann,  The  Far-Away  Princess  (in 
"  Roses  ",  Scribner,  and  separately,  by 
Samuel  French)  (F) 

s*  Fritzchen  (in  "  Morituri  ",  Scribner) 
c*  Benedix,  The  Law-Suit  (Samuel  French) 
c*  The  Third  Man  (Samuel  French) 

c*  Gyalui,     After    the     Honeymoon    (Samuel 

French) 
Scandinavian 

s*  Strindberg,  The  Stronger  (Scribner)  (F) 
SR  Lucky  Pehr  (Stewart  and  Kidd)  (F) 

sc    Bjornson,      The      Newly-Married      Couple 

(Everyman's  Library  ;   Button) 
c  Love  and  Geography  (Scribner) 

s    Ibsen,  An  Enemy  of  the  People  (Scribner) 
Russian 

c*  Tchekoff ,  The  Boor  (Samuel  French  ;  Scrib- 
ner) 
c*          A  Marriage  Proposal  (Samuel  French  ; 

Scribner) 

c*  The    Tragedian   in   Spite   of    Himself 

(Scribner) 


SELECTIVE  LISTS  OF  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

c*  Andreyev,  The  Dear  Departing  (Henderson, 

London),  and  [same  play]  Love  of  One's 

Neighbor  (Boni,  New  York) 
English 

c    Pinero,  The  Schoolmistress  (Walter  H.  Baker) 

(F) 

c  The  Magistrate  (Walter  H.  Baker)  (F) 

cs  The    Benefit   of  the  Doubt    (Dramatic 

Publishing  Company)  (F) 
c  The  Amazons  (Walter  H.  Baker)  (F) 

c  Dandy  Dick  (Walter  H.  Baker)  (F) 

c    Jones,    The   Manoeuvres   of  Jane    (Samuel 

French)  (F) 

cs  The  Liars  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

c  Dolly      Reforming      Herself     (Samuel 

French)  (F) 
c    Wilde,    The  Importance  of   Being   Earnest 

(Walter  H.  Baker  ;  Nichols;  Luce;  Put- 
nam ;  and  French)  1 
c*  Sutro,  The  Bracelet  (Samuel  French  ;  Bren- 

tano)  (F  —  Samuel  French) 
c*  Sutro,    The    Man    on    the    Kerb    (Samuel 

French  ;  Brentano)  (F  —  Samuel  French) 
c*  A  Marriage  Has  Been  Arranged  (Samuel 

French  ;  Brentano)  (F  —  Samuel  French) 
CR*  Barrie,  The  Will  (Scribner)  (F) 1 
CB*  The    Twelve- Pound    Look    (Brentano) 

(F)1 

1  Apply  to  Sanger  &  Jordan. 


HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

CB  The  Admirable  Crichton  (Doran)  (F)  * 

CR  Quality  Street  (Doran)  (F) 1 

c    Shaw,  You  Never  Can  Tell  (Brentano)  (F) 2 
CR  Candida  (Brentano)  (F)  2 

c*  Press  Cuttings  (Brentano)  (F)  2 

c*          How  He  Lied  to  Her  Husband  (Bren- 
tano) (F)2 

CR  Arms  and  the  Man  (Brentano)  (F) 2 

s    Barker,     The     Voysey   Inheritance    (Little, 

Brown)  (F) 
sc    Bennett,  What  the  Public  Wants  (Doran) 

(F) 

RC  Milestones  (Doran)  (F) 

s  Cupid  and  Commonsense  (Doran)  (F) 

c  The  Great  Adventure  (Doran)  (F) 

c*  Polite  Farces  (Doran)  (F) 

s    Baker,  Chains  (Luce)  (F) 
s*  Gibson,  Mates  (Macmillan)  (F) 
s*          On  the  Road  (Macmillan)  (F) 
c    Hankin,   The  Cassilis  Engagement  (Samuel 

French)  (F) 
c  The  Return  of  the   Prodigal  (Samuel 

French)  (F) 
c  The    Charity    that    Began    at    Home 

(Samuel  French)     (F) 

c*  Houghton,     The    Dear    Departed    (Samuel 
French)  (F) 

1  Apply  to  Sanger  &  Jordan. 

2  Apply  to  American  Play  Co. 


SELECTIVE  LISTS  OF  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

c*  The     Fifth     Commandment     (Samuel 

French)  (F) 

c*  Phipps  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

sc    Houghton,    Independent    Means     (Samuel 

French)  (F) 

s    Galsworthy,  The  Silver  Box  (Scribner)  (F) 1 
c  Joy  (Scribner)  (F) l 

sc    Hamilton,    Just   to    Get   Married    (Samuel 

French)  (F) 
sc*  Chapin,   Augustus  in   Search  of  a   Father 

(Gowans  and  Grey,  London)  (F) 
DCR*  Brighouse,  Lonesome  Like  (Samuel  French) 

(F) 

SD*  The  Price  of  Coal  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

c    Monkhouse,  The  Education  of  Mr.  Surrage 

(Sidgwick  and  Jackson,  London)  (F) 
c    Mason,  Green  Stockings  (Samuel  French)  (F) 
SD    Ervine,  Jane  Clegg  (Holt)  (F) 
DCK*  Fenn  and  Pryce,  'Op  o9  me  Thumb  (Samuel 

French)  (F) 
American 

s    Gillette,  Secret  Service  (Samuel  French)  (F) 
s  Held  by  the  Enemy  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

c  Too  Much  Johnson  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

c    MacKaye,  Anti-Matrimony  (Stokes)  (F) 
c    Thomas    (A.    E.),    Her    Husband's    Wife 
(Doubleday,  Page)  (F)  l 

1  Apply  to  Samuel  French  for  producing  rights. 


124      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

s*  Middleton,  The  Failures  (Holt)  (F) l 

s*  The  Groove  (Holt)  (F) l 

s*  Tradition  (Holt)  (F)  1 

c*  Macmillan,  Short  Plays  (Stewart  and  Kidd) 

(F) 
c    Forbes,    The    Commuters   (Samuel  French) 

(F) 
c  The      Traveling     Salesman      (Samuel 

French)  (F) 
s    Klein,    The  Lion  and  the  Mouse  (Samuel 

French)  (F) 
R    Thomas,     Arizona    (Dramatic    Publishing 

Company)  (F) 

RD  Alabama  (Dramatic  Publishing  Com- 

pany) (F) 
c  Mr  s  .Leffing  well9  s  Boots  (Samuel  French) 

(F) 

c  The  Other  Girl  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

c  Oliver  Goldsmith  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

c  The  Earl  of  Pawtucket  (Samuel  French) 

(F) 
c  The  Capitol  (Samuel  French)  (F) 

BIBLIOGRAPHY   ON   PRODUCING,  COSTUMES,  SCENERY, 
ETC. 

1.   Books  on  the  history  and  science  of  the  con- 
temporary stage: 

1  Apply  to  Samuel  French  for  producing  rights. 


SELECTIVE  LISTS  OF  AMATEUR  PLAYS    125 

Hiram  Kelly  Moderwell,    The    Theatre  of   To-day 

(Lane) 
Sheldon    Cheney,    The   Modern   Movement   in   the 

Theatre  (Kennerley) 

2.  Books  on  the  theory,  and  educational  and 
psychological  aspects  of  amateur  producing: 

Elnora  Whitman  Curtis,   The  Dramatic  Instinct  in 

Education  (Houghton  Mifflin) 
Emma  Sheridan  Fry,  Educational  Dramatics  (Moffat, 

Yard) 

Anne  T.  Craig,  The  Dramatic  Festival  (Putnam) 
Percy  MacKaye,  The  Civic  Theater  (Kennerley) 
The  Playhouse  and  the  Play  (Kennerley) 
Jane  Addams,    The  Spirit  of    Youth  in  the    City 

Streets  (Macmillan) 
Alice   Minnie   Herts,    The    Children's    Educational 

Theatre  (Harper) 

Mary  Master  Needham,  Folk  Festivals  (Huebsch) 
Harriet  Finley-Johnson,    The  Dramatic  Method  of 

Teaching  (Ginn) 
Percival  Chubb  and  associates,  Festivals  and  Plays 

(Harper) 

3.  Practical  hand-books  on  producing,  scenery, 
costumes,  etc.: 

Constance  D'Arcy  MacKay,  How  to  Produce  Chil- 
dren's Plays  (Holt) 


126      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

Constance  D'Arcy  MacKay,  Costumes  and  Scenery 

for  Amateurs  (Holt) 
Van  Dyke  Browne,  Secrets  of  Scene  Painting  and 

Stage  Eflects  (Dutton) 
C.  Wolliscroft,  Chats  on  Costumes  (Stokes) 
F.  W.  Fairholt,  Costumes  in  England  (Macmillan) 
(See  Costumes  and  Scenery  for  Amateurs  for  bibliog- 
raphy on  costume) 

Arthur  Edwin  Krows,  Play  Production  in  America 
(Holt) 


APPENDICES 
APPENDIX  I 

COPYRIGHT  AND  ROYALTY 

THE  following  statement  regarding  royalties  on 
amateur  plays  was  prepared  by  Mr.  Allen  J.  Carter, 
an  attorney  of  Chicago,  for  one  of  the  Drama  League 
pamphlets  listing  amateur  plays  : 

"  The  copyright  law  of  the  United  States  requires 
that  every  play,  whether  published  or  unpublished, 
for  which  copyright  protection  is  claimed,  must  be 
registered  in  the  copyright  office  at  Washington, 
D.C.  Until  such  registration,  no  action  for  in- 
fringement of  copyright  can  be  maintained.  The 
register  of  copyrights  keeps  a  complete  record  and 
index  of  all  copyright  entries  and  publishes  a  cata- 
logue of  such  entries  at  regular  intervals.  Dra- 
matic works  are  entered  under  Class  D  and  are 
found  indexed  under  that  heading  in  Part  I,  Group 
II  of  the  catalogues.  Copies  of  these  catalogues 
are  on  file  in  most  of  the  larger  public  libraries,  and 
127 


128     HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

sets  or  parts  of  sets  may  be  purchased  from  the 
Superintendent  of  Public  Documents  at  Washing- 
ton, D.C.  Anyone  wishing  to  learn  whether  a 
particular  play  has  been  properly  entered  for  copy- 
right need  only  consult  a  set  of  these  catalogues. 
If  such  a  set  is  not  available,  the  information  will 
be  promptly  furnished  by  the  register  of  copyrights, 
Washington,  D.C.,  upon  request. 

"  Whenever  a  play  has  been  published,  examina- 
tion of  a  copy  of  an  authorized  printed  edition  will 
disclose  whether  such  play  has  been  properly  copy- 
righted. The  law  requires  that  a  notice  of  copy- 
right must  be  placed  either  upon  the  title  page,  or 
upon  the  page  immediately  following,  of  each  copy 
published  or  offered  for  sale  in  the  United  States. 
Such  notice  must  consist  either  of  the  word  *  Copy- 
right '  or  the  abbreviation  '  Copr.',  accompanied 
by  the  name  of  the  copyright  proprietor  and  the 
year  in  which  copyright  was  secured  by  publication. 
If  published  prior  to  March  4,  1909,  the  notice  may 
also  be  in  the  following  form  :  '  Entered  according 

to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  ,  by  A.  B.  in 

the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washing- 
ton.' Whenever  the  author  of  a  play  or  anyone  to 
whom  he  has  assigned  his  rights  publishes  such 
play  without  proper  notice  of  copyright  in  some 
one  of  the  three  authorized  forms  above  mentioned, 
the  play  then  and  forever  after  becomes  the  property 
of  the  public  and  may  be  performed  and  printed  at 


APPENDIX  I  129 

will  by  anyone.  No  subsequent  attempt  to  copy- 
right such  play  would  be  valid,  and  any  valid  copy- 
right previously  secured  would  be  vitiated. 

"A  play  which  has  never  been  published  nor 
offered  for  sale,  and  which  exists  only  in  manuscript 
form,  may  be  copyrighted  upon  proper  entry  being 
made  at  the  copyright  office  in  Washington,  D.C. 
Should  such  play  be  later  published,  however,  the 
publication  must  comply  with  all  the  requirements 
of  the  law  as  to  notice  of  copyright. 

"  Any  person  who  infringes  the  copyright  in  any 
play  shall  be  liable  :  (a)  To  an  injunction  restrain- 
ing said  infringement  ;  (b)  to  pay  actual  damages  to 
the  copyright  proprietor,  or  in  place  of  actual  dam- 
ages $100.00  for  the  first  infringing  performance 
and  $50.00  for  each  succeeding  one  ;  (c)  to  im- 
prisonment not  to  exceed  one  year,  or  to  a  fine  not 
to  exceed  $1,000.00,  or  both,  wherever  such  person 
has  infringed  such  copyright  wilfully  and  for  profit. 

"  It  follows,  therefore,  that  if  any  group  of  ama- 
teurs perform  a  copyrighted  play  without  having 
obtained  the  consent  of  the  author  or  copyright 
proprietor,  they  are  collectively  liable  to  damages 
of  at  least  $100.00  under  whatever  conditions  the 
performance  is  given.  If  they  do  it  wilfully  and 
for  profit,  they  are  in  addition  each  individually 
liable  to  fine  and  imprisonment  under  the  criminal 
provision  of  the  act.'* 


APPENDIX  II 

A  NOTE  ON  MAKE-UP 

MAKE-UP  as  an  art  and  a  science  does  not  properly 
fall  within  the  scope  of  the  present  volume.  How- 
ever, it  has  been  thought  advisable  to  insert  at  this 
place  sections  from  an  interesting  paper  on  make-up 
by  one  who  has  made  a  thorough  study  of  the 
subject.  The  author  acknowledges  his  obligation 
to  Miss  Grace  Griswold,  who  wrote  the  article,  for 
permission  to  make  this  use  of  it. 

How  and  Where  Lines  Come 

into  the  Face 
A  Study  in  Make-up 

by 
Grace  Griswold 

Nearly  all  great  actors  are  masters  of  make-up. 
They  must  be,  for  the  illusions  of  the  stage  are  no 
less  pictorial  than  those  of  painting  and  sculpture, 
with  the  added  elements  of  movement  and  voice, 
all  of  which  must  be  brought  into  working  har- 
mony with  the  thought  and  feeling  of  the  part, 

130 


APPENDIX  H  131 

in  a  perfect  portrayal.  Any  serious  incongruity 
in  externals  is  felt  at  once,  and  destroys  the  illusion. 

Women  have  not  done  as  much  as  men  in  facial 
transformation,  except  in  the  way  of  burlesque  and 
grotesquerie.  Women's  make-ups,  on  the  whole, 
are  far  more  conventional.  The  female  face  is  more 
difficult  to  change  without  revealing  the  tricks. 
Heavy  furrows  and  deep  coloring  are  possible  only 
for  low  types.  Men  can  effect  great  changes  by 
the  use  of  beards  and  moustaches.  A  woman's  art 
must  be  far  subtler. 

Look  at  the  men  across  the  way.1  Notice  their 
eyes.  We  always  see  the  eyes  first,  although  the 
mouth  is  a  more  unerring  key  to  character.  The 
mouth  for  emotions  and  impulses,  and  the  eyes  for 
thoughts.  As  the  mouth  is  the  gateway  of  the 
soul,  so  the  eyes  are  its  windows,  but,  like  all  win- 
dows, their  function  is  rather  to  give  light  and  view 
to  the  interior  than  to  expose  it  to  the  impertinence 
of  passers-by.  .  .  .  His  level  brows,  which  show 
him  to  be  of  a  practical  or  scientific  turn  of  mind, 
are  deeply  contracted.  So  much  so,  that  not  only 
are  there  two  perpendicular  lines  between  them, 
but  one  across  the  top  of  the  nose  as  well.  The 
heavy  bone  formation  which  the  brows  outline, 

1  It  was  imperative  that  the  long  article  be  abridged.  The 
reference  here  is  to  Miss  Griswold's  first  sentence :  " .  .  .  take  a 
ride  with  me  in  the  subway,  where  we  may  perhaps  glean  some 
impressions  for  character  portrayal  upon  the  stage.'* 


132      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

indicates  rare  powers  of  observation.  But  this 
man  has  come  a  cropper.  See  how  restless  and 
unseeing  are  his  eyes  !  He  is  searching  for  a  solu- 
tion to  the  problem  which  is  troubling  him.  It  is  a 
purely  intellectual  problem,  for  the  mouth,  which 
is  the  indication  of  the  emotions  and  passions,  is 
unaffected  by  what  is  going  on  above.  There  is 
nothing  sinister  about  the  problem:  you  see  that 
the  eyes  are  wide  open.  Now  it  is  settled,  because 
he  appears  focussed  :  he  is  following  a  single  line  of 
thought. 

Now  observe  the  man  on  the  right.  He  too  is 
thinking  hard,  but  his  mouth  is  drawn,  jaws  set, 
eyelids  puckered  to  a  mere  slit.  He  has  been 
wronged,  or  believes  he  has,  and  is  planning  retalia- 
tion. His  nostrils  are  dilated,  his  breathing  heavy. 
Both  these  men  are  laboring  under  excitement, 
but  we  cannot  read  their  natures,  because  their 
habitual  expression  is  distorted. 

Do  you  see  that  dear  soul  opposite?  There  is 
work  behind  that  face,  work  that  has  brought  with 
it  health.  There  has  been  good  living,  but  no  in- 
temperance. See  the  strong  muscles  and  the  glow 
in  the  cheeks,  with  their  Santa  Glaus  rotundity. 
There  is  passion,  too,  but  it  is  restrained :  the 
lips  are  full,  but  the  center  line  is  straight.  With 
less  control,  that  line  would  tend  to  sag.  Melan- 
cholia is  also  indicated  in  downward  lines.  In  the 
case  of  this  woman,  the  lip  is  perhaps  too  heavy  to 


APPENDIX  H  133 

show  delicacy  of  character,  but  it  shows  broad 
sympathy,  and  is  redeemed  by  its  upper  consort, 
which  reveals,  except  at  the  corners,  a  cupid's  bow, 
full  of  tenderness.  The  Venus  de  Milo  hardly 
escapes  censure  even  with  the  lateral  shortness  of 
the  lower  lip  and  the  softened  outlines  of  the  upper. 
This  woman's  mouth  is  larger,  denoting  generosity. 
Now  look  at  the  eyes  —  open  just  to  the  degree  of 
frankness,  but  not  of  insincerity,  like  those  of  the 
vapid  young  person  across  the  way.  There  are 
radiations  from  the  corners,  too :  the  footprints 
of  many  a  pleasant  smile.  The  eyebrows  have  the 
sympathetic  upward  sweep  toward  the  nose,  and 
there  is  a  whimsical  twist  of  the  left  eyebrow. 
Altogether,  a  pleasant  countenance. 

A  perfectly  straight  compressed  mouth  always 
implies  strength  of  will. 

Now  notice  the  woman  just  beyond  with  her 
high-bred  aristocratic  face.  The  "  executive  "  nose, 
with  its  delicate  arch,  are  especially  indicative  of 
her  character.  The  eyebrows  likewise  are  arched, 
over  a  full  forehead  ;  very  imaginative.  The  eyes, 
slightly  veiled  in  their  expression,  show  her  to  be 
plunged  in  deep  and  somewhat  troubled  thought. 
Her  eyes  are  veiled  because  she  does  not  see  clearly 
a  way  out  of  her  problem,  but  that  way  out  will 
be,  we  are  sure,  something  noble.  Her  problem  is 
not  so  exclusively  an  intellectual  one  as  that  of  the 
man  we  mentioned :  it  must  be  some  economic  or 


134      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

philanthropieal  question  —  her  chin  is  finely  chiselled 
and  held  with  exquisite  poise,  strong  and  at  the 
same  time  delicate.  Her  complexion  has  the  "  pale 
cast  of  thought  ",  but  is  not  unhealthy  however. 
The  flesh  lies  easily  upon  its  firm  base.  It  will  never 
warp  into  deep  furrows.  See,  now  she  has  solved 
or  put  aside  her  problem,  for  a  moment,  and  her 
eyes  are  open  and  clear,  and  her  smile,  as  she  rec- 
ognizes a  friend,  is  engaging  and  unaffected.  Her 
sympathies  are  less  personal,  more  detached,  but 
none  the  less  real,  than  other  women's. 

And  now  see  this  man  who  has  just  entered.  He, 
too,  is  an  aristocrat,  but  as  he  turns,  we  can  observe 
that  there  is  a  one-sided  twist  to  his  face.  The 
bone  formation  in  his  face  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
woman's,  but  his  expression  is  exaggerated  by  a 
muscular  habit  of  the  mouth,  possibly  occasioned 
by  the  loss  of  teeth.  His  eyes  are  open,  but  they 
express  impassive  coldness.  He  has  taken  life  with 
a  sneer.  His  brows  are  not  arched,  although  one 
of  them  is  artificially  raised:  the  result,  undoubt- 
edly, of  boredom. 

Habitual  good-humor  ages  the  face  in  a  pleasant 
manner.  It  is  the  only  thing  that  never  grows 
old:  do  you  remember  what  genial  sparkling  eyes 
Joseph  Jefferson  and  Mark  Twain  had  ? 

Bearing  in  mind  these  summary  character  studies, 
let  us  turn  to  the  more  practical  side  of  make-up: 

Regarding  straight  make-up  —  i.e.  make-up  which 


APPENDIX  H  135 

is  designed  to  offset  the  glare  of  the  lights  —  it 
can  safely  be  asserted  that  most  professionals 
make-up  too  heavily.  This  is  partially  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  lights  in  the  dressing-room  are  seldom 
of  like  intensity  or  kind  as  those  on  the  stage. 
Billie  Burke  and  Blanche  Ring  occur  to  us  as  having 
achieved  happy  results  in  making-up,  the  former 
with  a  rose-bud  prettiness  of  white  and  pink,  the 
latter  by  using  so  little  color  and  blending  that 
little  so  well  that  it  is  scarcely  perceivable.  Both 
these  actresses  use  very  little  rouge  on  the  upper 
eyelids,  an  excess  of  which  is  one  of  the  commonest 
faults.  The  only  purpose  it  can  serve  is  to  soften 
the  upward  and  whitening  glare  of  the  footlights. 
The  skilful  use  of  rouge  is  the  most  important  and 
least  understood  of  all  the  numerous  elements  of 
this  art.  First  as  to  shade,  most  of  the  rouge  used 
is  blue.  It  does  not  blend  with  most  powders,  but 
produces  a  hard  contrast,  and  appears  unnatural. 
The  placing  of  the  rouge,  too,  is  very  important  in 
obviating  natural  defects  of  proportion  in  the  fea- 
tures, which  distances  always  intensify.  Any  spot 
left  white  is  projected  as  if  with  a  high-light.  If 
the  nose  is  too  wide,  it  can  be  narrowed  by  shading 
the  rouge  up  to  its  center  line.  If  it  is  too  prominent, 
it  will  be  less  apparent  if  shaded  slightly  all  over. 
The  same  rule  applies  to  the  chin,  the  jaw,  the 
ears,  and  the  forehead.  Some  people  lay  in  a 
general  foundation  of  grease  rouge  before  putting 


136      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

anything  else  on,  but  this  is  likely  to  give  a  muddy 
effect.  If  used  only  on  the  cheeks,  with  the  dry 
rouge  over  all  for  shading,  the  effect  is  far  more 
natural.  Some  also  lay  in  a  foundation  of  pink 
paste  —  called  "  Exora  "  —  but  the  result  is  nearly 
always  pasty,  and  should  never  be  used  except  to 
cover  some  blotchiness.  The  lighter  the  make-up, 
the  greater  opportunity  will  there  be  for  mobility 
of  expression. 

The  same  moderation  should  be  exercised  in 
making  up  the  eyes  and  mouth.  Brown  on  the 
lashes  and  eyebrows  is  softer  than  black,  especially 
for  blondes.  Heavy  black  leading  above  and  below, 
accentuated  by  broad  shadows  on  the  lids  of  dark 
blue,  make  them  look  like  burnt  holes  a  short  dis- 
tance away.  Few  eyes  are  large  enough  to  stand 
it,  and  those  that  are,  do  not  require  it.  A  little 
light  or  dark  blue  close  to  the  lashes  of  the  upper 
lid  is  necessary,  but  very  few  eyes  need  any  make-up 
at  all  on  the  lower  lid,  except  a  faint  shadow,  per- 
haps, of  light  blue.  A  little  dab  of  lip  rouge  in 
the  inner  corners  of  the  eye  adds  an  effect  of  bril- 
liancy. If  the  eye  itself  slants,  it  can  be  straightened 
by  a  line  of  brown  or  black,  drawn  in  the  opposite 
direction,  and  beginning  just  inside  the  outer 
corners.  The  line  of  the  upper  lids  and  the  eye- 
brows should  be  extended  in  almost  every  case, 
to  give  an  effect  of  breadth  to  the  eyes. 

If  the  face  needs  lengthening  and  the  eyebrows 


APPENDIX  H  137 

are  not  too  heavy,  they  can  be  covered  with  flesh- 
colored  grease  paint,  and  another  pair  painted 
above  them.  There  is  danger  in  this,  however,  of 
opening  the  frame  of  the  eyes  too  much  and  giving 
them  a  foolish  expression.  The  arched  brow  tends 
to  elongate,  the  level,  broad  effect  to  shorten,  the 
face. 

The  mouth  also  needs  careful  treatment.  As  to 
color:  the  dark  red  rouge  so  often  used  gives  the 
appearance  of  a  bloody  gash.  The  English  hunting 
red,  a  sort  of  bluish  vermilion,  is  best,  because 
most  natural.  Only  the  very  smallest  mouths  can 
stand  being  made  up  to  the  corners,  because  in 
smiling,  the  mouth  stretches,  and  willjook  too 
large  if  deeply  colored  all  the  way  across. 

A  line  of  white  grease  paint  drawn  down  the 
bridge  of  the  nose  will  straighten  it  ;  or,  if  it  be 
too  small,  lengthen  it.  The  nose  may  also  be  com- 
pletely transformed  by  putty. 

This  brings  us  to  what  is  known  as  the  "  char- 
acter "  make-up.  Here  again  one  is  confronted 
by  numberless  problems  regarding  the  use  of  colors. 
At  best,  character  make-up  is  only  the  adjustment 
of  one  physiognomy  to  the  habitual  expression  of 
another  :  complete  transformation  is  out  of  the 
question.  Nevertheless,  the  human  face,  being 
mobile,  may  assume  expressions  which  are  not 
habitual  to  it.  However,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  to  superimpose  a  purely  imaginary  countenance 


138      HOW  TO  PRODUCE  AMATEUR  PLAYS 

over  a  natural  one,  regardless  of  what  that  natural 
one  is,  is  a  fatal  mistake,  because  when  the  natural 
face  attempts  to  express  itself  under  the  other,  the 
effect  will  be  lost. 

To  return  a  moment  to  the  problem  of  color : 
illusion  is  frequently  lost  through  a  failure  to  adjust 
the  shade  of  the  high-light  and  shadow  to  the  tone 
of  the  foundation  grease  paint,  or  natural  com- 
plexion. The  commonest  offence  is  the  use  of  an 
unmixed,  unblended  slate  for  shadows,  and  white, 
and  high-lights,  whether  the  underlying  color  be 
florid,  sallow,  pink,  or  pale  flesh.  The  result  of 
such  treatment  is  merely  paint. 

The  whole  art  of  making-up  is  still  hide-bound 
by  tradition,  because  of  stupid  ideals  which  persist 
in  the  minds  of  those  whose  business  it  is  to  direct, 
as  well  as  many  in  the  acting  profession  itself. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


"ALCESTIS",  4 

Aristophanes,  5 

Art  adviser,  17 

"Art  of  Being  Bored,  The  ",  48 
Quoted,  53,  54-57 
Stage  grouping  of,  54-57 

"As  You  Like  It",  2 

BACKGROUNDS,  106-107 
Barker,  Granville,  6 
Belasco,  David,  89,  106 
"Blocking  out",  24,  61 

Example  of,  24-33 
"Blue  Bird,  The",  108 
"Box  sets ",82,  89,91,  100 
"Brignol  and  His   Daughter", 

Setting  for,  102,  103 
Business   manager,   Duties   of, 

11-12,  14 

"CALL  BOY",  DUTY  OF,  16 
Capus,  Alfred,  102 
Cast,  Ability  of,  2 

Selection  of,  19,  20 

Size  of,  2 

"Chantecler",  108 
Characterization  by  amateurs, 

2,3,4 

Cheney,  Seldon,  76  (Note),  77 
Classics,  2,  3,  4 
"Clouds,  The",  5 
Coach,  Selection  of,  20,  21 
Comedies,  4 
"  Comedy  of  Errors,  The",  2, 3, 5 

Setting  for,  93-94 


Costume  man,  Duties  of,  10, 14, 

15,  17 
Costumes,  14-15 

Accuracy  of,  108-109 
"Costumes    and    Scenery    for 

Amateurs",  81 
Craig,  Gordon,  102 
Crowds     or       large       groups, 
Rehearsing  of,   15,  58,  59 
Curtain  man,  Duties  of,  10 
Cyclorama,  78-81,  84,  88 

Construction  of,  78,  79-80,  81 

Description  of,  78 

Value  of,  78 

DE  VEGA,  LOPE,  4 
Deutsches  Theater  (Berlin),  95 
Diagram,  Making  of,  40-46,  60 
Director,  Duties  of,  8-10,   14, 

16,  17,  20,  23,  24,  28,  34, 
52,  58,  59,  64,  67,  73 

"Doctor  in  Spite  of  Himself",  5 
"Doll's  House,  A",  2 
Draperies,  80,  83,  92,  98 

"ELECTRA",  4 
Electrician,  13 
Euripides,  4 

"FAN,  THE",  5 

"Far-away     Princess,     The", 

Setting  for,  100-101 
Farces,  4 

Footlights,  86,  87,  89 
Boxed,  84 


141 


142 


INDEX 


Fortuny  lighting  system,  86,  88 
Furniture,  Handling  and  setting 
of,  15 

GOLDONI,  4,  5 
Gregory,  Lady,  90 
Grouping  actors,  48,  58,  59,  61 
Examples  of,   50-52,   53-57, 
58-59,  63 

"HAMLET",  4 

Handling  and  setting  of  scenery 
and  furniture,  15,  17 

IMITATION  OF  PROFESSIONALS, 

68,  69 
"Importance  of  Being  Earnest, 

The",  3 

"Blocked  out",  28-34 
Quoted,  24-28 
"Indian  Summer",  Quoted,  71- 

72 
Interpretation  by  amateurs,  69- 

70 

JONES,  HENRY  ARTHUR,  3,  46, 

47,48 
"Julius  Csesar",   Costumes  of, 

108 
Grouping  in,  58-59 

KLEIN,  CHARLES,  89 
Kotzebue,  4 

"LE       BOURGEOIS       GENTIL- 

HOMME,"  3,  5 
Lessing,  4,  5 

Lessing  Theater,  Berlin,  107 
"Liars,  The",  3,  46,  47 

Quoted,  46,  50 

Stage  grouping  of,  49-52 


Lighting,  Stage,  76, 78-79, 85, 89 
Examples  of,  89,  90 
Fortuny  system  of,  86,  88 
Kinds  of :  Arc,  88 
Border,  86 
Calcium,  88 

Footlights,  84,  86,  87,  89 
Lightman,  Duties  of,  10,  13-14, 

15 
"Lysistrata",  5 

MACKAY,  CONSTANCE  D'ARCY, 
82 

"Magistrate,  The",  4 

"Man  and  Superman",  4 

"Marrying  of  Ann  Leete,  The", 
6 

"Merchant  of  Venice,  The",  85 

"Milestones",  109 

"Minna  von  Barnhelm  ",  5 

"Modern    Movement    in    the 
Theatre,  The ",  76  (Note) 

Modern  plays,  4,  6 

Moderwell,    Hiram    Kelly,    76 

(Note),  77 
Quoted,  86-87 

Modulation,  Example  of,  71-72 

Moliere,  3,  4,  5 

Music,  15,  17 

"Music  Master,  The",  Light- 
ing of,  89 

ORIGINAL  PLAYS,  6 

PAILLERON,  EDOUARD,  48 
"Peer  Gynt",  Setting  for,  107 
Performance,  Essentials  of,  74, 

75 

"Phormio",  5 
Plautus,  5 
Plays,  "Cutting",  23 


INDEX 


143 


Plays,  Kind  of,  3-7 

Classic,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  14 

Comedies,  4 

Farces,  4 

Modern,  4,  6 

Original,  6 

Problem,  4 

Sex,  4 

Thesis,  4 

Translated,  6 

Reading  of,  23-24 
Plotting  the  stage,  Examples  of, 

41-45,  49-52 
Problem  plays,  4 
Prompt-copy,  Making  of,  34 
Prompter,  Duty  of,  75 
Property  man,  Duties  of,  10,  12, 

13,  15,  75 
Proscenium,  81 

Alteration  of,  81,  82,  83,  84, 
103-104 

Diagrams  of,  82,  83 

REHEARSALS,  15,  22,  58,  59,  61, 
66,  67,  68,  70 

First,  22-24,  61 

Second,  24,  61,  66 

Dress,  73,  74 

Scene  and  light,  74 
Reinhardt,  Max,  95,  106 
Revolving  stage,  85 
"Rising  of  the  Moon,   The", 

Lighting  of,  90 
"Rivals,  The",  3,  5 
"Romancers,    The",    15,  106, 
108 

Setting  for,  97-99 
Rostand,  13,  97,  108 

SCENERY,  HANDLING  AND  SET- 
TING OF,  15,  17 


"Scrap  of  Paper,  A",  Setting 

for,  104-105 

Screens,  83,  92,  102-103, 104 
Settings,  Stage,  77,  81,  82,  83, 

85,  89,  91 

"Box  sets",  82,  89,  91 
Examples   of,   93-94,   95-97, 

97-99,  100-101,   102-106 
Sex  plays,  4 

Shakespeare's  plays,  Settings 
for,  92,  93-94,  94-97,  97- 
99, 106 

Stage  business  of,  52 
Shaw,  G.  Bernard,  3,  13,  34,  47 
Sheridan,  Richard  Brinsley,  3,  5 
"She  Stoops  to  Conquer",  5 
Simpson,  J.  Palgrave,  104 
Sophocles,  4 
Staff,   Duties   of   members   of, 

9-17,  73-75 

Head  of  (Director)  8-10 
Organization  of,  8-16 
Stage,    Physical    requirements 

of,  76 

Revolving,  85 
Wagon,  85 
Stage  "business",  52,  61,  62, 

64,  66,  69-70, 
Examples  of,  62,  63-64,  65 
How  to  remember,  60 
Stage  directions,  28  (Note) 
For  "You  Never  Can  Tell", 

35-40 

Stage  grouping,   see  GROUPING 
Lighting,  see  LIGHTING 
Manager,   Duties  of,  10-11, 
13,  14,  15, 16,  22,  23,  28,  74 
Settings,  see  SETTINGS 
Sudermann,  Hermann,  100 
"Sumurun",    Background   for, 
106 


144 


INDEX 


TERENCE,  5 

"Theatre    of    To-day,  The*', 

76  (Nate),  79 
Thesis  plays,  4 
Translations,  6 
"Twelfth  Night",  Settings  for, 

94-99,  106 
"Twins,  The",  5 

UNDERSTUDIES,  16,  21 


WAGON  STAGE,  85 
Wardrobe   mistress,    see    COS- 
TUME MAN 
Warfield,  David,  89 
Wilde,  Oscar,  3,  24,  47 

"You  NEVER  CAN  TELL",  3, 13 
Diagram  of,  40-45 
Quoted,  35-40 
Stage  directions  of,  40 


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